Veritas et Caelum
by Lucenthia
Summary: A thousand years after the Second Keyblade War, a young Keyblade wielder arrives at the Keyblade Graveyard and finds out the truth from the Lingering Wills of Riku, Eraqus, Sora and the rest. Contains many elements from TerraKH's stories, the Wanderer's Series. Highly recommended you read them as well.
1. Part 1, Chapter 1

**Hey there! This is my first Kingdom Hearts fanfic, so please review. It's based off another set of fanfictions by TerraKH called the Wanderer's Series. I really recommend you read them as well. They are very good. **

**I own nothing but my OC, Raphael. I do not own any elements from TerraKH's Wanderer's Series either, but I'll go into specifics when elements pop up.**

**At times, you'll see the name of a soundtrack in brackets like these [ ]. They are meant to be played while you read through it. Of course, it's optional.**

**Hope you enjoy!**

"So, why? I've jumped through every hoop you've put in front of me, I even broke your armour, and now I deserve answers. Why?"

_"Deserve? Who are you to say what someone deserves? The concept that there are things one should be granted is false."_

Raphael stood on a large plateau in the Keyblade Graveyard. There was a river running through the middle, and the soil around the rocky plateau was dry and crumbling. In front of him was a set of pitch black armour kneeling, with a Keyblade embedded in the ground. The armour was also rent with holes, and Raphael could sense Darkness leaking out.

"Enough!" Raphael yelled, "Why are the Grandmasters afraid of the Darkness? Why do they reject the idea that Darkness can create as well as destroy? Why-"

Raphael was silenced by the armour _"The answer is in the question. Once the question is asked, the answer follows."_

Raphael kicked the ground in frustration "Is this how you won the Second Keyblade War a thousand years ago, by posing riddles to Xehanort? You're Riku, conqueror of both Light and Darkness! Why won't you tell me anything?"

_"Xehanort... Yes, I remember him. And my friends."_ Riku's remnant paused _"And Sora... and Kairi... and Terra, Ventus, Aqua. Yes, I remember them."_

It was no use. Raphael knew from experience that when a Remnant went into this sort of reminiscence, nothing could break them out of their revery. He looked out onto the plain before him and saw nine more rocky plateaus thrust up from the dry soil. Each had a river that stemmed flowed and merged down below. The river wound its way through a sea of Keyblades, all shattered echoes of Keyblade Masters. And behind him rose a wall of tall mountains. He just had this feeling that something was there, but it was of no consequence to him. He wanted answers, and could get them from the Remnant in front of him.

_"No use thinking of the past, though."_

Raphael whirled around and stared at Riku's Remnant in surprise. It was standing, and looking straight at Raphael. _"You want answers, and I can not give them all, but I can answer the question of how to control your Darkness, and the answer of why we need you."_

3 months ago...

"And so, in front of the Grandmasters, Highmasters, and Masters present, I, Grandmaster Astelik, condemn you to exile. You have practiced heinous research, almost as blasphemous as conducting research into Kingdom Hearts itself. You are hereby banished from the Realm of Light for the rest of your life."

Grandmaster Astelik continued speaking, but Raphael didn't hear him. How could they call him a heretic, when he had clearly proven that Darkness as well as Light could be wielded without any lasting side effects?

The courtroom he was in was one of the largest in Radiant Garden, able to fit the 200 Masters and 50 Highmasters necessary for something a severe as banishment into the Realms of Darkness.

Raphael realized that Grandmaster Astelik had finished his declaration, and he was being ushered into the Portal Room. Inside were various Portals that led directly to different worlds within the Realm of Light. But there was one that led into the Lanes Between, the vast space that separated the Realms of Light and Darkness.

A black cloak was thrust into his arms and he quickly put it on. It would help protect him against the Darkness somewhat. He looked back and saw his former master staring at him sadly. Raphael opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, he was pushed into the Portal.

Some time later...

_"Come free us..."_ Raphael's eyes jerked open. How long had he been floating in the Lanes Between? Everything seemed to blur together, and he had no idea where he was or where the closest world might be.

And then there was that voice.

_"Come free us..."_ Again, it rang in Raphael's head. Gritting his teeth, he summoned his Keyblade and looked around. It was still the same wherever he looked.

_"Rain must not come to this barren land."_ Raphael whirled around. He could sense the direction from whence the voice came from. He clenched his fist, and summoned the power of Darkness he had been outcasted for. Never mind that it had been used as a means of transportation in the Third Keyblade War, in the eyes of the Grandmasters the use of Darkness was heresy. He used the forbidden power to punch a hole in the Lanes Between and came out onto solid ground.

_"Rain must not come to this barren land"_ The voice was stronger now, almost like a chorus. Looking around, Raphael saw that he was in a canyon. Infusing his legs with Darkness, he jumped up onto protruding ledges of the rock face until he reached the top. Here, he stopped in awe. In the far distance he could see mountains with 10 columns thrust up from the earth. And in front of them, spread out in a semicircle with the plateaus as the center, were Keyblades.

Hundreds and hundreds of Keyblades.

The voices he had been hearing rose into a groaning chorus of whispers _"Free us..." "Rain must not come..." "I'm sorry..." "My fault, always my fault..." "Rain must be chained..." "...Cannot come. The rain..." "Free us..."_

Raphael stumbled and nearly fell back into the canyon. "Why do you need me? Why?" The whispers didn't give him any answers, they just continued, driving Raphael mad far faster than any time in the Realm of Darkness could have.

Back to the present...

Raphael looked as Riku's Remnant knelt in front of the other 9 Keyblades raised on the plateaus, then jumped down to kneel in front of three other Keyblades down below. It had been an hour since Riku's Remnant had promised him answers, and Raphael was starting to doubt that the Remnant could remember the promise he made to answer some of Raphael's questions. Finished, Riku's Remnant ran back up the plateau to face Raphael.

_"Answers. Knowledge. It along with power is the most coveted thing in the world."_ The two of them stood facing each other on opposite sides of the plateau, 20 metres apart.

_"Why are you acting more human?"_ Raphael asked _"You used to be like a ghost, repeating random phrases; now you're acting like a person."_

_"More questions, more greed for knowledge."_ Riku's Remnant replied _"I promised to tell you how to control the Darkness, and why we need you."_ He paused, then continued "_You cannot control your Darkness because you think it uncontrollable. Darkness is absence of Light, Light is absence of Darkness. Once you understand this, everything else shall follow."_

"What are you talking about?" Raphael asked "Darkness is a force, like gravity. It's not the absence of anything."

_"There is a flow to everything, order to everything, Darkness is no different."_ Riku's Remnant replied_ "Come, I shall show you."_

He leapt from his plateau and quickly made his way to another one. Raphael quickly followed, and arrived there shortly after Riku's Remnant did. He stepped forward, but stopped at Riku's Remnant's gesture. He backed away, and saw both Riku's Remnant and the new suit of armour adopt a battle stance._ "This armour is what remains of a great master and wielder of Light."_ Riku's Remnant said, even as the suit of armour rose and approached him_ "We called him Eraqus."_

"I've never heard of him" Raphael said "Who was he?" **[Master, Tell me the Truth, Kingdom Hearts BBS]**

Riku's Remnant didn't answer, instead charging towards Eraqus' Remnant. Raphael gasped as he felt the Darkness being drawn into Riku's Remnant. Closing his eyes, he realized that it was like Riku's Remnant was stoking a storm inside him, raging within the armour. Eraqus' Remnant gathered power of the same magnitude, and their Keyblades met with power that shook the plateau.

Their Keyblades met several more times in as many seconds, then Eraqus' Remnant jumped away and shot balls of pure Light at Riku's Remnant. He leapt over all of them, and the force of their detonation behind him propelled him forward to Eraqus' Remnant. Eraqus' Remnant raised his blade, but Riku's Remnant yelled _"Dark Aura!"_ and suddenly appeared behind Eraqus' Remnant, slashing at the armour from hip to shoulder.

Eraqus' Remnant staggered, but recovered quickly, dodging the next thrust that came from above. Riku's Remnant's next strikes glanced off the shoulder plating and helm of Eraqus' Remnant, but the last strike from directly above Eraqus' Remnant and shattered the armour plating around the upper arm.

There was a wave of increased power, and Eraqus' Remnant dashed forward with renewed speed and would have connected had Riku's Remnant not quickly sidestepped. As it was, the hole Raphael had made in the armour around his forearm the day before was widened as a little more of it was chipped off. Eraqus' Remnant quickly dashed across again, but Riku's Remnant was ready. He leapt over Eraqus' Remnant and shot out a salvo of Dark Firagas. The ground where Eraqus's Remnant stood was engulfed in blue flames and Riku's Remnant landed in front of Raphael. **[end Master, Tell me the Truth]**

"This is where you must watch closely, not with your eyes but with your Heart."

"What do you mean?" Raphael asked, awed by the display of power in front of him.

"Sense how I use Darkness against Eraqus' Light, sense the flow within the both of us."

"But the fight's over, isn't it-" Raphael started. He was interrupted by another wave of Light from behind Riku's Remnant. With armour falling off his body like crumbs off a slice of bread, Eraqus' Remnant walked towards the two of them slowly, with Light gleaming out of every crack and hole of the suit of armour.

2 months ago...

_"Rain must not come to this barren land"_

Raphael scrambled out of the way as a rusty but powerful Keyblade sped past him. The voices were distracting, and much stronger when fighting the suit of armour. He didn't expect to need to bring out the Darkness in him so early, but the Keyblade Master in front of him was faster and stronger.

Raphael didn't know what he looked like when he drew on the Darkness. He didn't know that his transformation was exactly alike to the anti-form of Sora, greatest Hero of Light, as his entire body was coated in black leaving only two yellow lights as eyes. He only knew that he had a fire raging in him, and if he didn't release it he would explode. He summoned his Keyblade, and it materialized as a Dark Lance, taller than he was. It appeared in a storm of Darkness, droplets of condensed Darkness falling to the ground and dissipating into the air.

He slithered into the ground, appearing behind the suit of armour and lunging forward. He scored a hit, and easily evaded the counterstrike. He had to end this quickly, or else the Darkness would devour his Heart. He condensed the lance into one point on his arm, so that it looked no larger than his finger, then dashed past the swinging Keyblade and unleashed his power into the chestplate of his foe. The armour shattered and stumbled backwards, and Raphael began to release the Darkness within him, letting it disappear into the air.

He wondered if all the Keyblades in the Keyblade Graveyard were like this. He had arrived here yesterday, and had gotten used to the voices hammering in his head. He had stepped forward, curious to examine the Keyblades, when a suit of armour materialized around the Keyblade. Raphael had approached warily, then leapt back as the suit of armour shot out and attacked him.

**[Black Powder, Kingdom Heart BBS]** _"I am a guardian of rain"_

Suddenly, he felt a huge surge of power and whirled around, drawing in the Darkness again as he did so. The suit of armour was still as broken as it had been, but it was glowing with more power. Flames engulfed it, and when they died down wings had sprouted from the back of the armour, and he now carried a whip instead of its Keyblade. _"I am a guardian of rain, and rain shall not come by the likes of you"_

Raphael dashed forward again, having compressed his lance into his arm, but the Keyblade Master had jumped into the air and struck Raphael from above with his whip. Raphael staggered under the pain and rolled out of the way as the whip struck again and again from above.

_"We must protect- protect..."_ Raphael leapt up, but the Keyblade Master flew in and punched Raphael back down to earth with a fire infused gauntlet. They both crashed to the ground, and Raphael would have been crushed had he not slithered away again. He stabbed his Dark Lance at the Keyblade master, but it was met and repelled with the gauntlet. _"Protect rain, for it must not come."_

The gesture made it clear that Raphael had to pierce the chestplate or helm again, but he couldn't penetrate the fiery whip and the volcanic gauntlet at the same time. As the Keyblade Master advanced, trailing white fire in its wake, Raphael growled and dashed forward, this time infusing the Dark Lance into his legs. He barely dodged the whip, and swung as hard as he could at the gauntlet that rushed towards him. There was a small explosion, and the Keyblade Master staggered back slightly. It regained its footing quickly, but Raphael took advantage of this and dashed to the side and thrust his Dark Lance at the torso of the Keyblade Master.

The cracked plate shattered, and so did the rest of the armour around the chest. The armour crumbled to the ground, with a last whisper _"Do not... bring rain... to this barren-"_ **[End Black Powder]**

Raphael writhed on the ground, wrestling with the Darkness. He had pushed himself too hard in that fight, let Darkness grab too large a foothold into his Heart. As he fought with the Darkness within him, he felt the voices physically and realised they were pushing at his Heart. _"I'm sorry..." "I shouldn't have..." "Rain must be..." "It was my fault..."_ He swept them away violently, and pushed away the Darkness for the time being. He lay there, panting, as he had no choice but to listen to the sea of voices try to drown him under their collective weight.

Back to the present...

Raphael had quickly found that once the armour was sufficiently broken, the Keyblade Master's true power could be unleashed. As if the armour was protecting the Keyblade Master's opponent. As the armour of Eraqus' Remnant was chipped away at, its power was inching closer and closer to being released.

And now it had been.

Obeying the orders of Riku's Remnant, Raphael opened himself to everything around him. As usual, there was the background chorus that he had long since become accustomed to, but it was drowned out in the storm that were the two Remnants. He sensed two storms, one cold and dark, the other bright and harsh, but they both seemed to mold into one as one storm fueled the other.

In a moment of clarity, Raphael realized what Riku's Remnant had been trying to tell him. Light and Dark were one; simply different sides of the same coin. Light and Dark would always fluctuate for domination because whenever one grew powerful, the other would gain in strength until it dominated and the need for its subjugation was needed. So it went on in a circle, in a flow.

_"And we are but grains of sand tossed within."_ Riku's Remnant said._ "but this is worrisome. Eraqus will not respond."_

Raphael had forgotten that Riku's Remnant and Eraqus' Remnant were fighting. Raphael opened his eyes and saw Riku's Remnant being pushed back by six multi-coloured lasers appearing behind Eraqus' Remnant. They drove huge scars into the plateau, and Riku had to jump back to where Raphael was standing._ "I will have to dive into his Heart and revive him. Protect my armour at all costs."_

Raphael nodded, realizing that he had just accepted the task of fighting a Keyblade Master as powerful as the current Grandmasters. His power had grown considerably in the last year, but this was still a daunting task. **[Tumbling, Kingdom Hearts BBS]**

Drawing on Darkness was almost instinctive now, as was summoning his Dark Lance. Eraqus' Remnant charged and met Raphael's thrust, but his Light infused Keyblade kept on travelling, dispersing the Dark Lance and travelling towards Raphael. Raphael quickly spun aside and recovered his footing, but wasn't given any respite as Eraqus' Remnant shot ethereal swords at him, making him fall back even further.

It was a good thing the armours only attacked whatever fought back, or else Eraqus' Remnant might have chosen to smash Riku's armour. As it was, Raphael had to hold off Eraqus's Remnant long enough for Riku to do whatever needed to be done.

_"Terra, Ven, Aqua, how could I?" _Eraqus' Remnant shot chains at Raphael, but he side-stepped, throwing his Dark Lance at Eraqus' Remnant. He had expected Eraqus' Remnant to dodge, but he hadn't expected it to engage in a long string of slashes and thrusts that Raphael barely dodged.

_"How could I raise my hand to Ven?" _The voice from Eraqus' Remnant was distracting, and stronger than the Keyblade Masters Raphael had fought before. It was laden with more guilt and regret. Raphael re-summoned his Dark Lance and parried the last blow of Eraqus' Remnant. He thrusted his Dark Lance towards it, but the suit of armour parried and followed with a lightning-quick counter. Raphael dodged, then released a blast of dark energy, not unlike the Dark Firaga released by Riku's Remnant a minute ago.

_"It was my fault, all my fault." _Eraqus' Remnant summoned his ethereal swords again, which flew serenely towards Raphael. He slithered into the ground and left them behind him, appearing in the small craters left behind by the Dark Firagas cast by Riku's Remnant.

_"Was it Xehanort? No, it was me, blinded by the very Light I preached" _Eraqus' Remnant thrust out arms and 5 ethereal blades appeared into the ground. They then turned to columns of flames and surrounded him as he dashed towards Raphael. He groaned inwardly, hoping that Riku's Remnant would finish soon, and dashed around the edge of the plateau. Eraqus' Remnant pursued him, and Raphael knew he couldn't continue or he would run into the black suit of armour he was supposed to be protecting.

_"Terra, I let Xehanort take over you. Why was I not there?" _With a roar, Raphael gathered all his power and rushed into the fiery storm with Eraqus' Remnant in the middle. He came through relatively unscathed since the fires had only brushed by him for a brief moment and thrust his Dark Lance at Eraqus' Remnant. He made contact with part of the shoulder plate, and the left arm of the suit of armour came to the ground. **[end Tumbling]**

_"Why have I failed!?" _Instantly Raphael was blown back by the sudden release of power, and he took a moment to be awed by the raw power of his opponent. Then he took a moment to swear, because Eraqus' Remnant had jumped into the air and used 5 of his ethereal blades to outline a rough circle in the plateau. Slowly, the ground rumble and a huge chunk of the earth ripped out of the plateau. Raphael was suddenly bound in chains and couldn't break free. He drew in darkness, infusing all he could into his outer skin, but he knew it was hopeless. The meteor that rushed down to him was going to kill him.

Suddenly, Riku's Remnant dashed over to him and jumped, carrying Raphael with him. The impact of the explosion still sent them flying and it was only thanks to Riku's Remnant that Raphael didn't go toppling over the edge of the plateau.

_"You did well, but you didn't think that destroying more of his armour would unleash more power?"_ Riku's Remnant asked. They landed in front of Eraqus' Remnant, who looked even more wrecked and broken than Riku's Remnant.

_"Why did you awaken me?"_ Eraqus' Remnant asked _"Our minds shall both fall within the month."_

_"I needed to teach this apprentice the true nature of Darkness."_ Riku replied _"He can free us from this barren land."_

_"I pray our gamble shall pay off."_ Eraqus' Remnant said _"If we lose our minds, who shall prevent rain from coming to this barren land?"_ And with that, he walked over to the center of the plateau and adopted his original stance: kneeling with his rusty Keyblade stabbed into the ground in front of him.

Riku jumped away, returning to his own plateau, and Raphael quickly followed. His Heart was pounding, but it was from adrenalin and the fear of nearly dying, not overuse of the Darkness. He was getting more and more used to the Darkness inside him, and he liked the feeling.


	2. Part 1, Chapter 2

**Here's the next chapter. **

**I don't think I can keep on spewing out chapters of these lengths at the current rate... I'm used to thousand word chapters. Ah well.**

**TerraKH: No, you're not supposed to know what the phrase means. Yet. Although it is guessable. Yeah, I get what you mean about the caps lock, I'll make sure to do that in the future. As for seeing the Rikkisons, you'll see the first one in the chapter after next. **

1 WEEK AGO...

Raphael lay on all fours, dry heaving into the ground. This was the second time it had happened, and all because he overexerted himself with the use of Darkness. He wondered what the effects of overusing it was; the libraries in Radiant Garden were conspicuously devoid of all information regarding Darkness. The closest it got were the books solely dedicated to reviling Kingdom Hearts for being steeped in Darkness, and elaborating on how all the evil congregated there naturally.

He felt weary and tired. The brittle soil never made for comfortable sleeping, and the endless voices haunted his dreams and nightmares. Even so, Raphael was grinning. At last, he had reached the 10 plateaus that thrust up from the ground like fingers of a dying god. He could sense the source of the voices emanating from one of the peaks, and he wanted answers. He was guided here, but for what purpose? He had fought his way to the center of this storm of riddles, but to what avail?

He slumped down in a small crater in the ground, courtesy of his latest opponent. And for what reason did the Grandmasters cast him out of the Realms of Light? For he saw now, that the reasons of his expulsion were false, but why did they refuse to admit the ancient power of Darkness could be used for good?

_"Come and free us."_

Raphael ignored the voice and stared up at the grey sky. _"Come and free us."_ Raphael felt that the voice was getting more insistent, rising over the others.

_"Come and free us from this hallowed slumber!"_

The voice was distinct, and Raphael jumped up. Could this be someone actually trying to communicate with him? He walked through the canyon made my the ten plateaus, guided by the echoes of the ghostly, tortured voice.

_"Come and free us from this barren land"_

Raphael turned and saw the plateau from whence it came. Gathering Darkness into his legs, he ran up the side and landed on the top of the plateau, looking around. He quickly released it (gathering in Darkness blurred his vision) and his attention was immediately caught by a dark suit of armour in the center of the plateau.

Dust and wind hadn't marred the armour like the others, and it still shone elegantly under the harsh sun. It was jet-black, but seemed to darken the surroundings the more Raphael looked at it.

_"Come and free us, Seeker of Darkness"_

Raphael shook his head "I'm a Seeker of knowledge, not one of Darkness. Who are you?"

_"I am failure, regret, weakness. Come and free us, Seeker of Darkness."_

"What's your name?" Raphael asked in frustration "What did people call you?"

_"My name... how long ago since people asked me for my name. Come and free us, Seeker of Darkness."_

"By the heroes of Light!" Raphael swore "I'm not-"

The black suit of armour interrupted him _"The Heroes of Light... Yes, that was our names. That was what people called us. How long ago that was."_

Raphael was rendered speechless. This was one of the Heroes of Light, who vanquished Xehanort and his Seekers of Darkness? Their graves and bodies were in the ancient ruins of the Land of Departure, where they had once trained. How could this suit of armour be a Hero of Light?

_"Our names, how important they were. We cried them out to each other so often. Yes, my name. My name was Riku."_

BACK TO THE PRESENT...

Raphael released the Darkness within him and punched the ground in frustration. Riku's Remnant watched over him silently, as he had been doing for the past week.

He could not do it.

He had tried to align his own self with the Darkness around him as Riku's Remnant had taught him. He had tried to find peace within himself and access the greater force around him. But every time he tried the Darkness within him worked his heart into a rage and he had to quickly release the Darkness else his heart be consumed with the Darkness.

_"Your Darkness"_ Riku said _"It is different, like a beast clawing its way into your heart. It is not of your own making."_

Raphael hesitated, then nodded. He had kept the source of his Darkness a secret from his new Master, but he supposed that was no longer possible if he was to continue.

"The Darkness in me" Raphael hesitated, then said "it's made of pureblood Heartless."

Riku's Remnant radiated shock, but did not speak, letting Raphael finish his story.

"The Heartless have dwelt in the Realms of Light since your time, but they are just the manifestations of people's Darkness. Their bodies are powered by the raw emotions, but what if that power could be harnessed?"

Raphael looked up, remembering bitterly how he had said almost the exact same thing to the Grandmasters as he had proposed his research. "What I did was experiment how to convert the emotions into energy. Once I did that, I injected pureblood Heartless into myself, and this is the result."

He remembered the gasps of horror when he revealed all he had done to the council of Grandmasters. It was almost as if he was worshipping Kingdom Hearts, or something equally demonic.

Riku's Remnant was silent for a moment, then said _"That was a mistake. Awareness of Darkness should be cultivated through awareness of one's surroundings; this method of yours is dangerous and the Heartless inside you could be devouring on your Heart as we speak. The more you draw on your Darkness, the stronger it becomes."_

Raphael looked up at him "So what do we do?"

_"We must tame the beast inside you. Or rather, you must tame the beast."_

"How?" Raphael asked "I can't just go into my own Heart."

_"Yet I went into Eraqus' to revive him from his reverie, and I can go once again into yours and lead you with me._" Riku's Remnant knelt down and laid a gauntlet on Raphael's head.

STATION OF AWAKENING...

The dive into Raphael's head was instantaneous. Raphael fell towards a glass podium and caught himself just in time. He turned and saw several other podiums just like his upon which people stood.

"Raphael." It was a young man with long silver hair that glimmered despite the lack of light, and brilliantly blue eyes. "Concentrate. The Darkness inside you will form any moment." He was standing on the glass podium closest to Raphael's own.

"Who are you?" Raphael asked. He summoned his Keyblade and as he gripped it in his hand, he realized how little he had used it since he arrived at the Keyblade Graveyard. So much of his fighting had been reliant on the Darkness.

"More and more questions. I'm Riku, and these" he gestured to the other podiums drifting in the empty space "are my friends."

Raphael looked in disbelief "You can't be. For one thing, you're speaking normally. For another, you're just a kid."

Riku rolled his eyes "You try standing for a thousand years and see how sane you are by the end of it. The Keyblade Masters are all caught in their last moments, and most of their last moments are defeat and regret. They echo that feeling, and in the end it affects us all."

Raphael looked, and saw other Keyblade Wielders, all kneeling with their hands on the hilt of their Keyblade, the end itself buried in the glass mosaic beneath them. The exception was a tall, austere looking man with black hair he swung his Keyblades at wraith-like shapes that darted to and fro, trying to gain purchase on his glass podium.

"That's Master Eraqus." Riku said "I woke him out of his slumber the other day when I jumped into his Heart."

"Why was he in slumber in the first place?" Raphael asked "Why did you have to wake him?"

He only noticed then that Riku too was fighting the wraith-like shapes. "When we enter slumber, it's like hibernation. It keeps these shades at bay, but we are unconscious to any other appearances. That's why I stopped sounding like a ghost when you broke my armour. When we awaken we have to consciously fight. It wears us out."

Raphael felt embarrassed "Why did you choose to awaken for me?"

Riku sighed as he slashed at another shade "More and more questions. Pay attention, I feel something coming."** [Hunter of the Dark, Kingdom Hearts BBS]**

Raphael whirled around and saw Darkness coalescing into something solid. He had killed countless Shadows and Neo-shadows, but this was something else. It was larger, and there was a defined shape to its arms and legs. White veins ran down its body, and its yellow eyes were malevolent with hate and hunger. Worst of all was the Dark Lance that the Heartless held. Raphael could sense the wailing of the souls trapped inside it. Was this what he looked like whenever he gathered in the Darkness?

Without warning, the Heartless lunged forward with the Dark Lance. Raphael rolled to the Heartless' left and slashed it, but the Heartless jumped to the side and thrust at Raphael again. He hastily parried the blow away, and went in for another strike.

It continued for what seemed like hours: Raphael would barely dodge a thrust our swipe from the Heartless and attempt for a clumsy counter. The Heartless would dodge with ease and attack Raphael again, and so the cycle would continue. He didn't pause to think of the irony of seeing a flow in this battle. He just knew that he couldn't break this one. The Heartless was too fast, too strong; Raphael couldn't defeat with just him alone.

This proved to be true as he fell back, barraging the Heartless from afar with firebolts. Unaffected, the Heartless leapt into the air, the Dark Lance outstretched. Yelling, Raphael charged forward with his Keyblade in both hands, only to find the Dark Lance impale him to the ground. He screamed in pain and fear as the Heartless reared up and prepared to kill him.

Suddenly, Riku was there and cut away the Dark Lance. The Dark Lance reformed in the Heartless' arm as Riku helped Raphael get up and cast a quick Curaga.

The two of them faced the Heartless as it turned towards them. "Can your Keyblade cut it?" Riku asked. When Raphael shook his head, he nodded "Then you'll have to distract the Heartless and let me go for the kill."

"You fought on par with Master Eraqus" Raphael exclaimed "Why are you having trouble with this thing?"

"This really isn't the time for questions" Riku shouted back as he ran to the Heartless' left flank "Now do your job and distract that thing."

Gritting his teeth against the pain of his injured shoulder, Raphael yelled and ran at the Heartless, firing off another firebolt spell at the Heartless. The Heartless slithered into the ground and re-appeared right behind Raphael. Luckily, Raphael anticipated what it would do and was able to parry the Dark Lance that would have stabbed through his shoulder blades. After all, wasn't this the very own power he'd been using?

He grinned. This was his power. The power he'd gotten after months of research. And he'd go to Kingdom Hearts before letting his own research overpower him. He remembered all the fighting he'd done, and knew exactly what his current opponent would do, seeing as his current opponent was none other than himself.

He dashed in, and rolled to the ground dodging both the claw and the Dark Lance of the Heartless. He hacked once at the underbelly and was exhilarated to see part of its skin being chipped off. He rolled over again as the Heartless tried to stomp on him and threw his Keyblade in a Fire Raid for good measure. The Heartless rumbled again and started to charge, only to falter and whip around as Riku attacked from its behind. Suddenly Riku cried out "Dark Aura!" and appeared behind the Heartless, attacking it again.

Raphael ran over and helped Riku, attacking the weakest points of the Heartless, keeping it off balance so it would expose even more to Riku. As Riku came down with the final blow, the Heartless reared its head in pain, and Raphael took this chance to infuse his Keyblade with fire and throw it at the exposed neck. He didn't miss, and as he re-summoned his Keyblade from the Heartless' neck it roared in fury.

It jumped to the other end of the glass podium, that gathered in Darkness to its legs. Raphael knew what that meant, and he gestured for Riku to jump up. They both did so in a nick of time and avoided being splattered by the Heartless' charge. Unfortunately, it didn't stop there. Raphael remembered going on similar rampages when pushed to his limit, which happened extremely often while fighting ex-Keyblade Masters.

"Riku!" he called out "Dodge its Dark Lance." Riku nodded and dove down towards the Heartless, avoiding the Lance thrown towards him. Raphael dropped down to the ground a moment later and fired some more magic towards the Heartless while running to aid Riku. They could both see the Heartless grow slower, and they redoubled their efforts. Riku was agile and managed to scrape off more of the Heartless' skin, but in the end it was a fireball to the Heartless' eye from Raphael that killed it. **[end Hunter of the Dark]**

The Heartless disappeared into nothingness as the two Keyblade Wielders lay on the glassy podium, exhausted from the ordeal. The silence was broken by Raphael, who asked "So why did we have so much trouble with that thing? You could have annihilated it with another huge explosion."

Riku shook his head "This place is our Hearts. When we come here, we take the form of the time when our hearts are the strongest. For me, that was when we were fighting Xehanort all those years ago. That also means that my abilities are of the same level."

There was another brief silence, then Raphael asked "Shouldn't you be getting back to your own heart? And since when was it so easy to go to and from each other's Hearts? Why can we all see each other?"

**[Riku's theme, Kingdom Hearts II]**

Riku sighed "All these questions." He sat up and looked at Raphael "You have to free us. Learn how to control the Darkness and free us from our hallowed slumber."

Raphael sat up, not knowing what Riku meant. He was unnerved by those piercing blue eyes. "Are you going to answer any of those questions?"

Riku smiled slightly, but his voice became more serious "I abandoned my Heart to help you. It's gone now, returned to Kingdom Hearts and it won't be coming back."

Raphael jerked himself upright and looked at where Riku's podium once was. There was nothing anymore. "Why!? Why did you sacrifice for me? What's so special about me? You could have kept on living-"

"No!" Riku interrupted, with far more fervour than his Remnant had ever used "I wouldn't have gone on living. I would have gone on dying. Dying a slow death under the weight of the guilt and regret of every single Keyblade Master here."

Raphael looked at him in confusion and Riku continued "Those shades you see Eraqus fighting, they are what's left of the Keyblade Masters surrounding us. Each armour that forms here contains the remnants of the Master's soul, but it is quickly crushed under the weight of the others. We are the sole exceptions, due to our strong Hearts, but nothing can last forever. Certainly not us."

"So, you're trapped here" Raphael said slowly "And you need me to free you so your Hearts won't get torn at by the other Keyblade Masters?"

Riku shook his head "Haven't you been listening? We have to prevent rain from coming. We have to protect-" He cut himself off, then tried again "You have to trust us. For now, just concentrate on mastering the Darkness for real."

Raphael still wasn't convinced "Why am I so special? Why did someone as great as you sacrifice yourself for someone like me?"

Riku got up and looked Raphael in the eye "Don't despise yourself for being a Seeker of Darkness. It is of no more shame than being a Guardian of Light. We are both Keyblade Wielders, and I couldn't be happier to reside in a Heart as strong as yours." Riku stepped away and looked sadly at Raphael, who was still standing there in shock "Now go. Go back into that barren land and free all of us. You must free us."

There was a blinding flash, and Raphael woke exactly where he had been before the battle had taken place. The only difference was, Riku's armour now lay in a heap before him. Raphael knew he had a great task placed on him, but he took a moment to weep for Riku. Not the fabled Hero of Light he had grown up worshipping, but the young man who had given so much hope and clarity into his life**. [end Riku's Theme]**

**And that's it for now. As you may have guessed, I'm a Riku fan... As usual, please review.**

**The next chapter won't be out as quickly, probably in around 24 hours. Until then!**


	3. Part 1, Chapter 3

**And, here's the next chapter. I'm beginning to regret having all these flashbacks, it just makes the whole story look truncated. Oh well, these should be the last of them.**

**TerraKH: Yes. Riku's armour is gone for good. It can't form again. I'll clarify a little in this chapter. As for why it formed in the first place, well that comes later.**

**The Unknowing Herald: Thanks again for the advice, and the maximum the confusion and riddles will extend to is ten chapters :)**

* * *

1 WEEK AGO...

"You can't be Riku, the Riku of the legends. You can't be."

_"It matters little who I used to be called. You must free us, free us from our slumber."_

Raphael didn't know what to make of this. He couldn't believe that this was what was left of the great Heroes of Light. If that was true, maybe Sora was here as well, maybe Kairi. The suit of armour was right about one thing, though. It wasn't as important as finding out why he was brought to this place and not left drifting in the Lanes Between. Sometimes when he lay there on the ground, feeling the harsh sun on his face, he wondered if this was really better than the alternative.

"How do I free you?" Raphael asked "Did you guide me here when I was drifting?'

_"Free me from this superficial shell."_

Raphael grew angry "What do you want from me? Why won't you tell me anything?"

The single voice from the suit of armour grew louder _"You must free me!"_

"What do I do?" Raphael shouted back. He wanted knowledge, why was it so hard to obtain? He stepped forward again, which was a mistake as the suit of armour suddenly rose and swung at him. **[Another Side, Another Story, Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix]**

"What are you doing?" Raphael asked as he deflected a thrust with his summoned Keyblade "How can I free you if you kill me?"

_"Free us to protect rain from coming! Rain must not come!"_

Growling, Raphael gathered the Darkness in him felt the familiar heat of the Dark Lance. He traded a few blows with the suit of armour before jumping into the air and using a Dark Firaga spell. Raphael slithered away, then extended his Dark Lance from afar.

The suit of armour stood still for a moment, then to Raphael's shock, he also began to draw in Darkness. It charged, and its movements were quicker and more powerful. His Dark Lance got pushed away repeatedly, and he had to move back to the edge of the plateau

_"You must free us! Free Sora, free Kairi. Free us!"_

It was like a battle cry that would never end. Raphael dashed over the swipes sent his way and tried to stab the Dark Lance through the chestplate, but the suit of armour sent a wave of dark energy, sending Raphael flying. Groggily, Raphael picked himself up, only to find more bolts of dark energy head his way. Slithering into the ground, Raphael crawled towards the suit of armour and jumped, Dark Lance outstretched. The suit of armour stumbled back slightly, and Raphael followed up with a strong punch to the breastplate.

The armour cracked but did not break, and the suit of armour jumped up and slammed his Keyblade into the ground, causing a shockwave that blew Raphael back once again. Raphael looked up groggily and saw the suit of armour charge at him yet again. Wearily, Raphael slid into the ground and avoided the blow, but lay down on all fours panting.

_"Free us from this endless slumber! Free us!"_

This suit of armour couldn't be Riku. This decrepit hulk of steel couldn't possibly be one of the great Hero of Light! Rage built up in his body, and the rage dulled his pain. His Dark Lance grew in power, and he met his opponent's blade without faltering. He thrust and swiped again and again, unwavering against the onslaught of steel and voice. He matched the suit of armour, his anger growing with his power. Suddenly, he dashed to the side, then slithered into the ground beneath the suit of armour and thrusting his Lance into the suit of armour's torso. There was a great grinding noise as the armour shattered and fell to the ground, and as even more power was unleashed.** [end Another Side, Another Story]**

Raphael struggled to retrieve his arm from within the armour, and it seemed to be getting sucked into the interior. Raphael struggled to pull it out, but was met with strange visions.

_"Hey, why do you always get to be the pirate?"_ Raphael was looking at a beautiful island with white sand, and two children running across it. And he somehow knew that he was looking at Sora and Riku as children. He didn't need to think, he just knew. It felt right.

_"Come on, Sora. I thought you were better than that"_ Now they were teenagers, and Raphael saw glimpses of Riku drifting in the Darkness. Of Riku in a castle of pure white, conquering the Darkness in his heart time and time again. Of Riku in the Realm of Nothingness with Sora, defeating the leader of the Nobodies.

_"The way to dawn."_ The words he had said to his friend, Ansem the Wise, founder of Radiant Garden. The name of his Keyblade as he was guided from the Darkness to the Light.

Raphael staggered back, releasing the Darkness in him and clutching his hand. He didn't need any confirmation. He knew without doubt that this indeed was Riku, Hero of Light.

* * *

BACK TO THE PRESENT..

Raphael felt within himself and couldn't locate the Darkness he had drawn on. It was gone, and he felt powerless without it. What had he done? How was he supposed to fight like this?

_"Don't lose hope"_ Riku said, and Raphael remembered that Riku was dwelling inside his Heart now. Could his body be reclaimed?

_"No"_ Riku replied _"My Keyblade had an imprint of me left in it. When it drew armour around itself, it also drew my Heart as well. Once it's gone, though, it won't be coming back."_

Raphael felt guilty, that Riku didn't have a body and was reduced to a voice in his head. Riku mentally shook him and said _"I haven't had a body for a thousand years. Nothing but a superficial shell that had been hanging on by a thread."_

Even though Raphael had Riku inside him, he couldn't feel the usual Darkness. The constant burning sensation he had always felt from the Darkness had made his chest flare with pain, but he never would have thought that its absence would be so keenly missed.

"_That might be a good thing"_ Riku said "_You probably don't realize how bad you looked when you came."_

It was confusing having another voice in his head. They communicated via images instead of sound, and when Riku talked Raphael saw how he had looked through Riku's eyes. He had to agree. His brown hair had grown out and blew raggedly around his face, but what was even more unnerving was how streaks of silver had made their way into his hair, signifying the alarming exposure to Darkness. He supposed it was from overuse of the Darkness inside him.

He had always been tall while lacking the bulk that usually went with it; but, after his time away from Radiant Garden he looked practically emaciated as he had approached Riku's Armour, yelling at it for answers. His cloak, which was supposed to protect him from the Darkness was tattered and broken, and flapped around more chaotically than his hair. Most surprising of all was his face. It was full of hate and his once brown eyes had turned hazel.

"_They would have turned golden after anymore exposure to the Darkness."_

Is this what Darkness did? Did it just turn people into hating monsters like himself?

_"Darkness did not turn you into someone who hated. You already hated the Grandmasters for casting you out. Under the pressure of all the Remnant's, hearing their voices day after day, it's enough to drive anyone mad. And you were _never_ a monster."_

Kingdom Hearts! He wondered if he looked any better now that he had vanquished the Heartless inside him.

_"Whenever you say Kingdom Hearts"_ Riku said "_You utter it like a foul curse. Why?"_

What did Riku mean? It was because Kingdom Hearts itself was foul. He was just invoking it to use as a swear word. What was the question?

Riku was silent for a moment, then said "_we should continue on with trying to master the Darkness. Remember, you are never alone, and you will always find both Darkness and Light no matter where you go."_

Raphael saw how he looked now. To all appearances, he didn't look any different. His brown and silver hair still blew around his tanned skin, and his cloak still flapped around him like an eternal aura. It was his eyes that had changed; not in colour, for they were still hazel instead of brown, but they weren't full of hate. They weren't eyes of contentment, nor were they proud and confident. They were simply determined. Without realizing it, after being alone all this time he had come to hate not only the Grandmasters, but himself. Convinced that his own power was perverse, he had thought that he, by extension, was an anomaly to be wiped out.

_"You're not."_ Riku said "_You're a Seeker of Darkness that can enlighten Masters and Apprentices alike."_ **[Quincy's Craft, Bleach]**

Raphael took a deep breath, with the knowledge that the power he would take was not abhorrent to the rest of the world. He attuned himself to the Darkness and Light around him, with the knowledge that the power he sought was eternal and part of the natural world, not a mere artificial Darkness that ate away at the soul. He gathered in the Darkness, knowing that Riku (he could never think of him as a Remnant any longer) stood by him.

He drew in the Darkness, and felt in erupt in an orange aura around his whole body. Feeling Riku's presence steady himself, Raphael drew more in, revelling in the sensation as it travelled through him. He had thought that Darkness was like a raging fire inside him, always to be kept in check else it would burn his Heart, but he saw now that Darkness was just like Light: old and powerful and absolute.

On instinct, he summoned his Keyblade. It had never felt so right in his hand, the way the handle was shaped to his palm, the way it seemed to move from the command of Raphael's mind instead of his arm. _"What's the Keyblade's name?_" Riku asked

"They stripped my Keyblade of its name when I was exiled" Raphael replied "They couldn't take it away from me, but they tried their best."

Riku was silent for a moment, then said_ "Every Keyblade should have a name."_ Raphael could sense Riku's icy disapproval for the Grandmasters grow, despite never seeing them before.

Raphael agreed. The words "redemption" rang through his mind, but he shook his head. He wasn't in need of any redemption or forgiveness. His cause was righteous and just, and he had certainly not done anything that would call for redeeming.

Then it came to him. He would bring truth and knowledge to the council of Grandmasters. Once he showed them how Darkness was supposed to work, they couldn't deny him any longer. More research could be made and the Keyblade Wielders would further grow in strength. Their hate and disgust towards Kingdom Hearts might even diminish. The Keyblade would bring clarity with it. Heaven's Clarity.

The hilt was a dull orange, the colour of sunset. It merged into a yellow and white blade that extended into a sharp point, and the blinding result eliminated the need for any additions. There were no fancy ornaments or unnecessary additions to this simple blade. Truth was singular and without adornments, and this blade reflected that in its straight unassuming edge and single point. Heaven's Clarity. That was what this Keyblade was named, and that was what it would be used for. To bring clarity and truth to the Realms of Light, and Grandmasters be damned.

_"So be it"_ Riku said _"Your Keyblade is named anew. Now, as you gather more Darkness-"_ Riku started, but he needn't have bothered. Euphoric with the ecstasy of liberation and discovery of a new identity, Raphael gathered in even more Darkness, swirling it like the storm he had seen in Riku when he and Eraqus had fought. It raged within him, and he ran, soaring over the sea of Keyblades he had been wading through for the past few months. **[end Quincy's Craft]**

Even though he thought of the sea, it was disrupted by a line of destruction he could see from above, with holes and rents in the ground leading to the side. They were the marks of battle left after weeks of battling his way here. How strong would he be now? Were the Keyblades arranged in a certain way, or were they just scattered randomly. More importantly, how would his fighting abilities have changed with the use of external Darkness instead of his own chaotic one?

"_You can kill one or two, _Riku cautioned him_ but don't go overboard. We need those Keyblade Masters."_

Raphael didn't pause to wonder what the Keyblade Masters were needed for. Landing in front of another suit of armour, he readied himself.

_"Protect this barren land from rain"_ The suit of armour was blue but was lined with silver, making it shine under the bright sun. It rose and leapt into the air, conjuring a blizzard with it. Raphael was impressed. Not many suits of armour could summon magic before its armour had been even cracked; going into hibernation took its largest toll on mental capabilities. Raphael blew back the blizzard with a blast of Darkness, then cried "Dark Maelstrom!" and spun his deadly Keyblade, elongated by the Darkness he had absorbed. His opponent tried to parry, but staggered back slightly. **[Daring Fight, Fullmetal Alchemist]**

_"Rain must not come unless we are freed"_ Raphael tried to push his advantage, but crashed into a magical shield. He saw the several bolts of blue lightning streak out of the armour's gauntlet, but Raphael didn't flinch, firing off dozens of Dark Firagas and running up to finish the job. The suit of armour came out of the smoke a little worse for wear, but nowhere near breaking point. It charged underneath Raphael, and scored a glancing blow off his shoulders. Uncaring, Raphael turned and shot another Dark Firaga. The suit of armour dodged, but it fell for Raphael's feint and took a heavy blow from his Keyblade.

_"This land must be protected! Rain must be protected!"_ As its right arm fell off, Raphael could feel the familiar wave of power shake the earth slightly. His eyes widened when his opponent disappeared, and he would have been decapitated had Riku not taken over and made him duck. "_Don't get overconfident. She's of the same level as your Highmasters in Radiant Garden."_

Nodding, Raphael brought Heaven's Clarity back in front of him and watched his opponent carefully. The suit of armour disappeared, and Raphael whirled around, parrying its blow. He lunged forward but the suit of armour teleported again. _"Free us from this barren land"_ Raphael looked around and saw the suit of armour hovering above him, then dodged the fireballs sent from above.

Drawing in more Darkness, he let it fill him to the brim. If his opponent was going to teleport around the place, he would follow suit. When the suit of armour teleported, he cried out "Dark Aura!" and appeared behind the suit of armour. His Keyblade slashed thin air, and he saw his opponent down on the ground shooting bolts of lightning at him. He warped down to the ground where his opponent had teleported moments before, diving in for a thrust that once again met nothing but thin air.

This continued for a few seconds: teleporting across the field and slashing at thin air, then teleporting again to dodge the counterstrike. Another flow in the battlefield. When they both stopped, Raphael could sense the suit of armour's exhaustion as well as his own.

_"Rain must not come, must not... must not come!"_ The suit of armour raised its Keyblade and a huge meteor appeared above its head and headed straight for Raphael. Grunting in annoyance, Raphael waited until the meteor was approaching, then dashed over behind his opponent. His thrust was parried, but he was able to put the Master in between himself and the explosion. It was caught in the impact and stumbled off balance, leaving it open for a strike from Raphael's Keyblade. _"Rain... must not..."_ Its voice died off as the armour clattered lifeless to the ground. **[end Daring Fight]**

Someday, Raphael thought he would end a battle without him needing to collapse on the ground.

He could sense Riku looking at him wryly "_If you didn't push yourself so hard, you wouldn't. As I said, that was probably at the level of an average Highmaster."_

Raphael sat up curiously and wondered how Riku knew about the Highmasters. "_Because I'm in your Heart Riku answered And I've seen your memories."_

That seemed a little unfair. Why couldn't he see through Riku's memories?

_"Because my Heart's inside yours, not the other way around. That and my defenses are just far stronger than yours."_

That didn't seem fair. Rent was normally paid to the landlord by the resident

Riku could be sensed chuckling inside him. It was new, and Raphael had never imagined any of the suits of armour laughing. "_No one masters the power of Darkness so easily. Who do you think guided you when you decided to have your little teleporting competition. Techniques like that are usually perfected over time."_

Raphael supposed hosting a Hero of Light inside of him had its perks. Then, two things hit him. First of all, he had been joking with someone who had resided in the legends of his childhood. Second, he was as powerful as a Highmaster. That put him in the top hundred Keyblade Wielders. 3 months ago he had only been a Master Candidate, putting him slightly below the top five hundred. Growth of this calibre was unheard of.

_"As I said, no one masters the power of Darkness so easily."_

Thanking Riku, Raphael gathered in Darkness, relishing the feeling of it flowing through his veins, then dashed back to Riku's plateau.


	4. Part 1, Chapter 4

**So, this is the next chapter. Not much in terms of Raphael's character, but it does actually inform readers of stuff instead of just confusing the heck out of you. Hopefully.**

**The Unknowing Herald: Thanks for all the advice, hope it follows through in this chapter.**

**TerraKH: Yeah, I'm enjoying seeing it as much as you.**

**SorasApprenticeNumberOne: A lot of your questions will get answered in this chapter. And don't worry, I can still understand you perfectly.**

* * *

THE NEXT DAY...

Raphael soared past the mass of Keyblades that constantly whispered in his ear, and decided to go further. He had never been able to run so fast, or feel so in tune with the world, albeit one that moaned and whispered of the rain and this barren land in his ear. He jumped high into the air again, and as he did so, he saw that the Keyblades had been spread out like a huge semi-circle with the nine plateaus as its radius and the mountains behind the plateaus were the straight edge. From this vantage point he could see the mountains extended even further back, thinning and converging into a thin and steep valley. All of it were in hues of brown, save the river, which ran through the semi-circle and had turned yellow from the silt.

_"Rain's Valley" _Riku said. Another riddle? Riku was getting more talkative. What was the rain? The Darkness? It obviously wasn't just water.

_"Yes" _Riku said, _"You're right." _He let Raphael on tenderhooks, then said _"I am definitely getting more talkative."_

Well, look who was getting back his sense of humour. Raphael landed and his feet sank several inches into the soil. Raphael looked around, and saw that he had travelled passed the canyon where he had first arrived. From this angle it looked like a huge rent in the ground. In the distance Raphael could see a tall pillar thrust up from the ground, and could sense more Keyblades littered across the ground surrounding it. For some reason, these didn't emit the eerie chorus the others behind him did.

_"You won't find anything there" _Riku said sadly _"Just a battle where much was sacrificed and lost."_

Raphael wondered if Riku knew how infuriating riddles were. Why didn't he just give the information out in a way Raphael could understand?

Riku didn't answer, and Raphael made the rest of the journey in silence. He took pleasure in running up the tall pillar, and when he got to the top, he was glad he did so.

For one thing, the tall pillar was actually split into two sections. It was as if someone had raised one patch of the earth, then raised another section after the first plateau had been erected. As it was, it looked like two cylinders dropped on top of each other. That wasn't what grabbed Raphael's eyes. In front of him was a circle of Keyblades, with two pathways that intersected in the radius of the circle making it look like a cross through the circle. As Raphael looked closer, though, he saw that there was a snaking path through the circle, and the Keyblades that were supposed to be there were absent.

_"We faced an opponent that could control the air and ride a twister of dead Keyblades." _Riku said, though he did so reluctantly _"Even now, you can see his handiwork."_

When had this happened? Was it before even the Heroes of Light were born? Was it during their lifetimes, or had it occurred sometime afterwards?

_"Before I was born, yes. Not all the Heroes of Light were born at the same time."_

Riku was getting more and more vague, and Raphael knew he had to tread cautiously or Riku would not divulge any information at all. Were those Keyblades sentient, like the ones next to the plateaus?

_"No, they are dead. Completely." _Riku replied heavily_ "Armour won't form around those Keyblades." _Raphael wondered why not, but realized he'd involuntarily gone too far. Riku didn't respond and Raphael turned to leave, but Riku spoke.

_"It was a battle to forge the X-Blade." _Riku said. _"You know what the X-Blade was?"_

Raphael nodded. It had been one of the childhood stories he had grown up with. The X-Blade was the counterpart of good to the evil that was Kingdom Hearts. There had been a Keyblade War long ago for the X-Blade, but in that process the X-Blade sacrificed itself and its Light went into split into seven pure Hearts of Light. In the process, though, it took in part of the Darkness that was Kingdom Hearts. In order not to burden the Hearts of the people, it split the Darkness into 13 pieces so the Darkness that took place in people's Hearts would be weaker.

Riku thought for a bit, then said _"The truth is…different. The X-Blade is the counterpart of Kingdom Hearts, and there was a Keyblade War in which it shattered. The Keyblade War was for Kingdom Hearts, and when the X-Blade shattered, it shattered into 13 parts of pure Darkness, and 7 of pure Light."_

_"There was a Keyblade Master called Xehanort, who tried to forge the X-Blade by gathering a Heart of pure Light and a Heart of pure Darkness and have them conflict to forge the X-Blade. It culminated in a pitched battle at this very spot."_

What had happened? How had Xehanort been stopped?

Apparently Riku had used up his quota of words, because he merely said _"Through great sacrifice." _Raphael waited for more, but Riku didn't say anything. Raphael didn't mind. Riku had already divulged an enormous amount of information by his standards. Maybe more would come.

He looked out onto the plains for one last look, then launched himself off the tall pillar before heading back. Why were there two graveyards? How had those Keyblades and the ones by the plateau been sorted?

_"When we get back" _Riku said _"We'll practice tuning in to the Darkness more. The more you can tap into the ambient Darkness, the more powerful you'll get."_

That was the thing about himself: it was extremely easy to sidetrack him. They both knew it, but Riku also knew that so long he held knowledge that Raphael wanted, Raphael wouldn't refuse him. It was fully within Raphael's capabilities to walk away, but they both knew that the temptation for knowledge would keep him here.

1 WEEK LATER...

_"You seem to be enjoying your newfound power" _Riku said.

It was the end of another day training. The days were blurring, and Raphael had already lost track of how many had past since he had arrived to this world. Each day Riku would insist that he kneel in front of the other 8 Keyblade Masters for a minute. Eraqus' would greet him, but do little else. Raphael was afraid that if he got up too often, his armour would completely collapse under the movement. One of his arms was completely missing, and there were holes riddled in every part of his armour, from his knee plating to his helm.

Raphael wasn't disturbed by the Master's terseness. No doubt the fight for his Heart took up most of his attention. Raphael would also have to kneel in front of three nameless Keyblades on the valley floor, and he did so, wondering who the Wielders had once been. He had asked Riku, but had received no response.

Despite that, Riku had gotten much more fluent and talkative now his Heart resided in Raphael's.

_"You try fighting shades for a millennium" _Riku had said "_See how talkative you feel."_

Riku raised a point; Although, sometimes Raphael envied Riku for being able to live in a place that was shaded from the Lightdamned sun and all the dust. The whole world was covered in brittle soil that was blown around by the strong, dry wind. It got everywhere, and Raphael had been distracted by it more than once. The sun also beat down on him, burning his skin browner than it already was. Had the Keyblade Graveyard always been like this? If so, Raphael pitied the Keyblades that had to live here.

_"It wasn't always like this" _Riku had said _"There was a time when this brittle soil was made of rocks. The air was dead and still, and water was non-existent. Still pity these Keyblades though, they only started being gathered here after we changed the terrain."_

What? How did the Heroes of Light "change the terrain" and why did they do it?

Riku hadn't spoken. Raphael sighed. He didn't know if Riku was like this in his old life, but whenever he didn't want to say anything, he just stayed silent for a long while. He did this whenever Raphael asked about the Keyblades, the Rain, and anything else important.

It frustrated Raphael to no end. Knowledge had to be shared to everyone, and everyone should be informed and know all that they wish. Riku obviously knew important things that he was withholding from Raphael, as if Raphael was a child that needed sheltering and protection. Why did Riku never give him straight answers?

_"There are three hundred and seventy two Keyblades gathered in front of us."_

Where was this leading?

"_Nowhere." _And Raphael could sense Riku shrugging _"You wanted straight answers, I gave it."_

Raphael supposed it was a good sign that Riku had recovered a sense of humour, but he still didn't appreciate sarcasm directed at him.

Now it was the end of the day, and Riku was speaking to him. "_You seem to be enjoying your newfound power."_

Raphael nodded. Tuning himself into the world and being part of it had scared and fascinated him at the same time. He could feel the pressure of the voices pressing against him, and could feel the plateaus on which Riku's friends had stood for a thousand years. And the feeling of releasing the Darkness was one Raphael had never experienced before.

Riku interrupted his thoughts with a question "_Why do you want this power?"_

Raphael stopped and thought. He hadn't reflected much on his reasons for doing all that he had done. Then again, hadn't a lot of it been at the bidding of Riku's Remnant to "free him" and "awaken him from his hallowed slumber"?

_"True. A lot of what you've done has been at our request. I ask you now then, once you gain the power of a Grandmaster, what will you do with it?"_

Raphael didn't hesitate. He summoned his Keyblade, Heaven's Clarity and looked at it again. He had to squint to do so, as the sun bouncing off the blade made blindingly bright. It was named for its purpose: to bring clarity into the world. With his power, he would

_"So you'll fight them if need be?" _Raphael nodded his affirmation _"A worthy cause for strength: fighting so the truth may be heard."_

Was it Raphael or did Riku sound sarcastic. "_And what if none of the Highmasters or Masters believe you? What if you're cast out again for a liar?"_

These "what ifs" weren't getting them anywhere. The Grandmasters were harsh but wise. Once they had irrefutable proof of his power, they would definitely see sense. It was the truth, after all, and they were the council of ten that practically ruled the Realms of Light.

_"Naive. What makes you think the Grandmasters are ignorant? How much do you think the truth weighs in the face of immeasurable power?"_

Raphael frowned, not understanding what Riku was trying to say

_"I've been going through your memories of the Grandmasters. There was this time you saw Grandmaster Agatha fight."_

Raphael nodded, remembering the Battle of the Cobalt Ocean. It had been subjugating the rebel forces in Neverland, who had gained far more ground than expected with their knowledge of the sea and its outlying islands. Their guerilla tactics had already cost Radiant Garden more Keyblade Wielders than anticipated.

It had been the only time Raphael had seen a Grandmaster fight. They were outnumbered and ambushed, their Keyblades poorly suited for fighting on the seas when Grandmaster Agatha unleashed her power. **[Emptiness, Fullmetal Alchemist]**

_"Yes, she jumped from your boat to one of the adjacent ones and destroyed it instantly with an anti-gravity spell. Did you ever wonder how she obtained such strength?"_

A suspicion was building in Raphael. He could guess at what Riku was trying to say, but didn't want to admit it. And what would the Heroes of Light now about the damned existence that was Kingdom Hearts?

_"More than you would think. The Keyblade Masters here all draw on it, until their actual power is released externally."_

Raphael wouldn't believe it. The fact that he had been dueling legitimate Keyblade Masters infused with the disgusting power of Kingdom Hearts? Impossible.

_"Did you think the Masters were able to match the power of your Darkness with only physical strength? Could you stand up to one of them without the aid of Darkness? Kingdom Hearts was drawn here once, and traces of it linger to this very day."_

It couldn't be true. How could he have been fighting Masters who used something so... wrong?

_"Why is Kingdom Hearts a perverse thing? It is simply the Hearts of all else incarnate. That cannot be perverse."_

Raphael didn't really know the answer. Ever since he grew up he had heard stories of the Heroes of Light fighting Xehanort and his vessels of Darkness, empowered by the Darkness of Kingdom Hearts itself. It had always been a fact of life. But now...

_"But now you have answers. Now you have the knowledge you claim you have been seeking. And what will you do afterwards? What will you do with your newfound power?"_

It couldn't be. Riku must have been mistaken. The events in Neverland had taken place a decade ago, they were bound to be sketchy with age. How could Riku be so sure?

_"I am sure because you are in such denial. You are in such denial because you know it is true. The Grandmasters have been lying to every single Keyblade Wielder in existence, hoarding the power of Kingdom Hearts for themselves. "_

Raphael refused to believe this. How could he?

_"You claim you wish to spread the truth. A nice paradox I suppose. A man wishing to spread the truth when he himself refuses to accept it_." Then Riku withdrew, and let Raphael deal with this revelation and his grief on his own. **[end Emptiness]**


	5. Part 1, Chapter 5

**OK. Here's the next chapter. The main purpose of this chapter is to fill readers who haven't read TerraKH's Wanderer's Series on the info that's relevant to this story. A couple of spoilers, but I've left out most of the details and the ending. Hope you all enjoy it. **

**The Unknowing Herald: I'm glad to have surprised you. :)**

**SorasApprenticeNumberOne: Thanks again, and I hope I don't spoil the Wanderer's Series too much for you...**

**TerraKH: We'll see Raphael's character more, but it's not going to grow much in this chapter.**

**The EighthLight: It's a little complicated... let's just say not for a long while... sorry about that.**

* * *

THE NEXT DAY...

_"Do you still wish to seek knowledge now you know the consequences?"_

Raphael wanted to ignore Riku's voice, but that was hard seeing as they communicated simply by thinking. He was glad Riku had given him space. He had thought about what Riku had said, and he had to admit to himself it made sense. The Grandmasters had cast him out because they were afraid of him discovering the truth. But maybe the Grandmasters didn't know it was Kingdom Hearts they were using. Maybe they had just accessed the power and were waiting to find out before they revealed it to the public.

Riku couldn't know whether the Grandmasters knew it was Kingdom Hearts or not. He waited for Riku's reply but he gave none, letting Raphael's thoughts ring in his ears. The ludicrousness of the statement was far more compelling than any argument Riku could construct.

What would it mean if he accepted what Riku had told him to be true? It would mean that he rejected everything the Grandmasters had taught him about Kingdom Hearts, and even going against them. Was he powerful enough to go against them? He supposed that was what his "newfound power" would be for if he chose that path. And what if he didn't? What if he chose to believe the Grandmasters were still benevolent and wise? That would mean turning away from the truth and choosing to live in ignorance.

Raphael summoned Heaven's Clarity and looked at the blade, always straight and shining clear and true. It would remind him of the righteousness of his mission: to bring truth to the Realm of Light.

_"How will you accomplish this righteousness mission of yours" _Riku asked _"Telling the people the truth and hoping they will rise to revolution?"_

Riku had definitely gained character back if he could even be sarcastic. If people were faced with undeniable proof of the truth, could they simply deny it?

He understood the Grandmasters' motivation, but why would the Highmasters and Masters simply follow along.

If he could get the word out to the other Keyblade Wielders, the Grandmasters would lose influence, and that was a power Kingdom Hearts couldn't grant them.

_"You underestimate people's tendencies to cling onto old beliefs, no matter what you tell them." _Riku said _"You're twenty four years old?"_

It wasn't a question, he had obviously been through more of Raphael's memories.

_"Perhaps," _Riku continued, _"as you grow older, you'll realize how flimsy a thing truth is, and how easily people can deny what is obviously right."_

Raphael had faith in the Masters and Highmasters. He could still bring clarity to the Keyblade Wielders by revealing what had been done. His goal hadn't changed, simply grown in scale.

_"Are you sure you can convince even one person of this? Are you sure you won't just get executed on the spot for treason and blasphemy?"_

Raphael wasn't. So long as the Grandmasters were in charge, the truth would never come to the surface. It would remain buried under generations of corruption at the highest level.

_"So that is your answer. That is what you will use your newfound power for. The slaughter of the Grandmasters, keepers of the peace and saviors of the Realm of Light."_

His purpose was to bring truth to the world. Keyblade Masters should be able to face up to the truth and their mistakes. In any case, it didn't matter what he wanted the power for. Riku and the others needed his power more than he did. He didn't know much, but he could tell that he was sorely needed.

_You are correct. We need you, no matter what your own motivations might be._

Then why did Riku even bring the topic up? Raphael winced as he heard himself snap at Riku for simply telling him the truth.

_"I don't blame you" _Riku said _"But just think of how close you were to denying everything, and that's with me inside your head. How easy do you think it will be for others?"_

It wouldn't be easy. Things rarely were. He wondered why Riku had chosen yesterday to reveal what he knew about the Grandmasters. He waited for an answer, but Riku chose to avoid it, merely saying "_You choose to reject your old teachings, but they have to be replaced with new ones. For this purpose I'm bringing you to Master Jason, the oldest Remnant in this barren land." _

They landed in front of a suit of silver armour. It didn't glimmer or shine in the light, but there was a sense of elegant power to it. As Raphael drew nearer, Jason's Remnant stood and looked at Raphael, then summoned his Keyblade, Cleansing Light, to his hand. It was silver to match his armour. Long and slender, it complemented the armour in every way. **{Jason's theme [Strength of a Thousand Men, Two Steps From Hell]}**

Raphael summoned Heaven's Clarity into his palm, then took the offensive, running directly at Jason. Jason stepped cleanly to the side and thrust at Raphael, aiming for his left thigh. Raphael gathered in Darkness and leapt up, shooting Dark Firagas at Jason. Jason dashed across to avoid them, and swiped again at Raphael. Despite the Keyblade of Jason's Remnant being longer than most, it was no less sturdier, and Raphael stepped back at the force of the blows being sent his way. Raphael fired a bolt of Dark Thundaga at Jason's Remnant, but he blocked it with his Keyblade, and swayed backwards to avoid Raphael's swing.

As they fought, the voice within Jason's Remnant rose slightly, but Raphael couldn't detect it. He could sense a soft clamouring for times long gone, but all thoughts of what was inside the armour left him as Jason's Remnant jumped up and swung Cleansing Light several times at Raphael. Every strike, every movement was clean and swift, without any extravagant movements. Though he didn't possess overwhelming power, Raphael suspected that Jason's Remnant could cut through opponents wielding far more raw power than he did.

_"Don't get cocky"_ Riku commented "_He's holding back more than most, and commanded as much power as Eraqus did. This just shows he has the best control out of the Remnant's you've seen."_

Nodding, Raphael drew in more Darkness, and infused it into Heaven's Clarity. Darkness congregated around it, and he rushed towards Jason's Remnant. Instead of parrying like Raphael thought Jason's Remnant would, it ducked and rammed an elbow into Raphael's stomach. He stumbled back and fell to the ground, only just rolling out of the way as Jason's Remnant advanced towards him.

_"Power isn't everything" _Riku reminded him "_You've lost a lot of your reaction time and skill ever since we killed that Heartless inside you."_

Raphael didn't need to be reminded. At first he had been overjoyed at this unexpected side-effect, but now it appeared to have given him a disadvantage. Jason's Remnant ran towards Raphael, jumping over a Dark Firaga aimed his way, his Keyblade thrust towards Raphael. Growling, Raphael drew more Darkness in him, and a black Keyblade met one shining with white light as the two Keyblades, Heaven's Clarity and Cleansing Light met. Raphael's Darkness overpowered Jason's Remnant, and Raphael quickly followed up this advantage by thrusting his Keyblade at Jason's Remnant, elongating the dark aura around it.

The shoulder plate on Jason's Remnant had a small hole chipped out of it, but it wasn't large enough, and Jason came at Raphael again. He jumped over Heaven's Clarity, overflowing with Darkness, and Raphael had to dodge a kick aimed at his face.

_"Stop relying on power" _Riku berated "_You've been further disadvantaged against strong Masters when all you had was that parasite of that Heartless inside you." _

Nodding, Raphael transferred most of the Darkness in him down to his legs, then ran around Jason's Remnant. If he couldn't win with strength he'd win with speed. Jason's Remnant turned, but Raphael was far faster with Darkness on his side, and he jumped to the other side, making a dent in the helm.

Jason's Remnant glowed brightly as he drew on the power of Light, but Raphael wasn't worried and sped towards Jason again. He knew Jason would side-step and immediately counter, so he was ready for a follow-up strike that rendered a hole in the leg armour.

Unfortunately, this wasn't enough, and the move had left Raphael exposed to another strike from Jason's Remnant. He started to roll out of the way, but Cleansing Light impaled him in the leg and he lay on the ground writhing. Jason withdrew his Keyblade and swung again, this time at Raphael's head. Raphael quickly kicked up and Jason's Remnant staggered back. Raphael quickly got up, putting all of his weight on his uninjured leg.

Light was seeping out of the holes and cracks in the armour, and Raphael could hear distinct words. _"Marek. Rikkison's legacy… I'm sorry. A family…"_

This wasn't looking good and Raphael had to end this quickly. _"Don't rush, though"_ Riku said _"Jason's still smart enough to take advantage of any slips."_

Bearing it in mind, Raphael waited for Jason's Remnant to close the distance before shooting Dark Firaga at the ground between them. Jason's Remnant leapt over it, but Raphael had expected this. He threw his Keyblade out and yelled "Dark Barrage!" Jason's Remnant blew some of it away with its Keyblade, but some of it still got through, peppering his armour with more holes. More strength issued from inside the armour, and Raphael hopped back, praying that the battle had ended.**[end Strength of a Thousand Men]**

He breathed with relief as a voice came from Jason's armour. _"Why have you woken me, Riku." _

Raphael sighed. Why did the Remnant's always mistake him for Riku. _Because my Heart's inside you, and they're not used to seeing with their eyes. Now let me talk._

"This is Raphael." Riku said aloud "He will wake earth, wind and water from their slumber and help us protect rain. Before that happens, though, he'd like to know about the third Keyblade War, and our true history."

Jason was silent for a moment, then nodded. He went to the middle of the plateau and adopted the same stance he had been in for a millenia. Raphael could feel himself being pushed to the front of his mind again and after casting Curaga on his leg, walked over and sat in front of Jason. **{Jack's theme [Evolution of Consciousness, X-Ray Dog]}**

_"You know of the Third Keyblade War and Xehanort's bid for power to obtain the X-Blade." _Jason said _"Does the history speak of a Jack Rikkison, fourth apprentice to Master Eraqus?" _

Raphael shook his head. Was Master Eraqus the master of Terra, Ven and Aqua? Before he asked the question, Riku confirmed it for him. Raphael then shook his head to Jason's query. Only Sora, Riku, Kairi, Terra, Aqua and Ventus had been mentioned in the clash between 7 lights and 13 darknesses.

_"Jack... He was a great warrior with a turbulent past." _Jason said _"When he was born, I separated the Darkness in him and gave it to his brother, Marek. I separated Marek's Light and gave it to Jack. Because of that, he became Light personified while Marek became Darkness personified. Marek's Darkness drew the attention of Xehanort, who tried to use it for himself. Xehanort then corrupted Marek to the point where he even killed his own mother. And then…" _Jason appeared confused.

_"What happened. I can't- I can't…"_ Jason's armour shook its head, then said _"Jack. Yes, Jack. When he was ten, he too drew the attention of Master Xehanort, and became his apprentice for 3 years. Along the way, he found me and struck me down in Spira." _

_"Jack escaped after three years under Master Xehanort with the help of a girl called Mist. He went to Master Eraqus to continue his instruction, but also saw and came to love Mist at the same time. It couldn't last. Master Xehanort made his move, setting the lives of all four of Eraqus' apprentices into disarray._

Jason looked up again and asked _"Do you know of the events that happened here?"_

Raphael nodded "Master Xehanort attempted to forge the X-Blade with his apprentice Vanitas, and gain a new vessel with Terra."

Jason nodded again _"Jack faced his own Darkness who called himself Illusion, but was really Marek. He kidnapped and Mist, but Jack thought that she was dead. Ridden with guilt, he went to find Master Aqua, who had been lost in the Realm of Darkness. He battled Xehanort there, and when he emerged, twelve years had passed and the events of Sora and the defeat of Xemnas had already come to pass."_

Raphael nodded in understanding. Sora's triumphs had been taught extensively with much emphasis on his use of Light. _"But with the defeat of his Nobody and his Heartless, Xehanort was now ressurected. His plan was to bring the 13 vessels of Darkness and 7 Guardians of Light together to reforge the X-Blade. To do this, he wanted Jack as his vessel, and for a time we thought he had succeeded in dragging Jack down to the Darkness. But he was overcome by Jack's Light, and completely defeated."_

Jason paused, then continued "_However, two months later, Jack came across Illusion, and was told that Mist had been kidnapped, held prisoner for twelve years. Of course, Jack went to find her, but Marek had gathered more servants to his cause, and I among them._

Jason looked up and saw Raphael staring in disbelief _"He resurrected me, and used me against my son. Jack found Mist, and brought her back to Yen Sid's tower where she had his child, Rayne. Rayne was... different." _

_"You see," _and here Jason hesitated before saying_ "Mist had...taken in pure Light in her time with Jack, and she took in pure Darkness in her time with Marek. As a result, Rayne was the X-Blade itself."_

Raphael gasped "She was the X-Blade? What do you mean? She wasn't a Keyblade, I mean, she was an actual person, right?"

Jason nodded _"Jack and Marek were Light and Darkness, but they still had bodies. Rayne was the X-Blade and possessed incredible power. She grew up extremely quickly as well, due to some unexpected circumstances. Picturing my nineteen year old son trying to keep up with his twelve year old daughter was... amusing"_

Aside from asking how a nineteen year old could have a twelve year old daughter, Raphael noticed that it was the first time he had heard a remnant talk about their own emotions. "Can you feel amusement?" He asked Jason.

_"No" _Jason said _"But I can recall feeling it. The memory is…heartening._

"So, Light and Darkness" Raphael said, curious to know more about them "Were they sentient? Could they actually talk?"

Jason nodded. _"Light, Darkness, and Corruption. The three divine beings, all from Kingdom , they could talk. And think, and plot. Light is no better than the other two. Light is too unyielding, too orderly. It believes that the ideal world is a constant one, a pleasant ideal. His way of creating it, though… Divine beings don't look upon us as humans, even though they might take the skin of one. They look at us as animals, to be ignored and killed without thought if we get in their way. If controlled, it could be used for great good as Jack and Marek did. If not…"__**[end Jack's theme]**_

Jason stopped talking leaving Raphael stared at the ground, not believing his ears. To think that so much had been written out of history... But why? He had only been taught that Sora had defeated Xemnas, leader of the nobodies, and nothing further than that. Nothing about Xehanort trying to forge the X-Blade, nothing about Jack, nothing about Marek. Why would the Grandmasters have blotted out history like that? "_You know the answer" _Riku said, not unkindly "_You refuse to admit it."_

Raphael knew the answer. He had to face the truth whenever he came across it. If he didn't face up to the acts of his superiors, how could he expect the others to? The history had been written out because the Grandmasters didn't want anyone to know that Kingdom Hearts was both Light and Darkness. It was the Heart of everything: people and worlds together. It was a force of nature that was neither good nor evil. And the Lightdamned Grandmasters had been demonizing it simply for the cause of power.

_"You have to be careful" _Riku warned "_I've seen bitterness and anger turn to hatred too many times. Dabbling with the Darkness, you have to be more careful than most."_

That was right. Raphael sometimes forgot that Riku, despite having the voice of a young man, was over a thousand years old. Then again, hadn't he been in hibernation for whole time? How much had he actually seen?

_"Every time I clash with a shade, I get an inkling of his last moments. They're mostly regret for companions lost, guilt at mistakes made, sorrow at a love never realised. A lot more Keyblade Wielders give in to Darkness then you think."_

Raphael nodded, then frowned again. No one had heard of the Keyblade Graveyard, and Raphael only knew about it when he had been conducting his research. How had all these Keyblades ended up here?

_"This is the Keyblade Graveyard, where countless Keyblades lay from the First Keyblade War."_ Riku said_ "Those Keyblades draw the essence of more Keyblades here, and the Wielder with them. The Heart of the Keyblade Wielder usually vanishes, but if they have armour, their Heart remains in their artificial body. Of course, it is almost always quickly crushed by the other shades."_

Raphael wondered briefly where Riku had died, but picked up Riku's unwillingness to speak of the matter and remained quiet. What would come next? He would gain power to rival the Grandmasters soon; he could feel it. But there were still so many questions. Why were there only Keyblades belonging to Wielders who had possessed armour here? What did the Remnants mean when they cried out for Raphael to free them? He would receive answers to these questions eventually. He knew it. And when he did, he would make sure the answers reached every corner of the Realm of Light.

* * *

**Disclaimer: I own only Raphael. TerraKH owns Jason and the story that Jason recited. Everything else is owned by Square Enix.**

**That was a pretty cumbersome chapter, and I hope I didn't reflect that too much when I was writing it. I promise more action next time. I left the disclaimer until the end so I wouldn't spoil it for those who have read Wanderer's Series. And again, I hope I didn't spoil Wanderer's Series too much for those who haven't. **

**'Till next time.**


	6. Part 1, Chapter 6

**And, here's the next chapter. I'm still trying to balance the action and the talking here. I'm glad everyone's liking it so far.**

**TheEigthLight: Nah, nothing big was revealed.**

**TerraKH: Haha. Thanks! Writing the beginning was easy. After part 1 it'll get a little harder.**

**SorasApprenticeNumberOne: I'm glad the personalities are working their way through.**

**The Unknowing Herald: Power and character are two different things. Raphael still has a long way to go in both areas.**

* * *

THE NEXT DAY...

_"You still wish to gain power, knowing what you know now?"_

It was the next day, and Raphael had stayed the most of the night up pondering what had been revealed to him last night.

_"You just found out you had been lied to your whole life two nights ago." _Riku continued_ "And a lot of information was revealed to you last night. That can't have been easy." _

Of course it wasn't; but he had named his Keyblade, Heaven's Clarity, after his goal. Such a vow wasn't so easily broken.

"_Very well then." _Riku said_, _though he said it with a tinge of sadness_"Your awareness of Darkness has improved a lot. You need more control, though. You rely too much on raw power. You need more practice."_

So who was Raphael's next opponent? Sometimes it seemed he was just going through all the Keyblade Masters here. Wouldn't their minds deteriorate far faster if they were woken?

"_It doesn't matter." _Riku responded _"Soon, we'll all be free from this barren land."_

Riku paused, but ignored Raphael's usual curiosity. He then continued _"Your next opponent is called Lea. We'll go visit him now."_

Raphael was eager to battle Lea, even though he didn't know much about him; however, Riku still insisted that he kneel down and pay homage to the other 9 Keyblade Masters on the plateau, then 3 more Keyblades down on the plains. Who were these three Keyblades, and what distinguished them from the other hundreds of Keyblade Masters that littered the land?

_These were our apprentices._ Riku said_ No doubt they were written out of history as well, but they were great warriors in their own right. Especially this one._

He made Raphael kneel in front of the first Keyblade _His name was Pierce, and he grew amazingly into a great hero. He was my apprentice, but I was never around that often. All of us were always out on missions and stuff. There weren't many of us back then._

He got up and moved to the second one _This one was called Ava. She and Pierce had been together since their youths. Far wiser than her years._

When he knelt in front of the last one, there was an air of sadness around Riku _This one was called Griffin. He was Lea's son, and burnt brightly. _Did something happen to Griffin? Why was Riku sad? _Nothing happened to Griffin. Everything was fixed._

Raphael would have liked to know more, but Riku didn't give any answers, and Raphael knew by now that when Riku didn't want to divulge any information, no information would be divulged.

They jumped back up to the plateaus and went in front of a crimson and pitch black suit of armour that gleamed brightly in the sun. It glimmered and danced, making the armour look like an ember glowing in the darkness. **[13th Struggle, Kingdom Hearts II]**

_"Protect rain. I must protect rain." _It stood, and and summoned its Keyblade. Like his armour, the hilt was black and crimson, and it extended into a blade that ended with a red and orange spiral. As Raphael summoned Heaven's Clarity, Lea's Remnant ran at him. Instead of relying on melee attacks, Raphael could see flames gathering around his Keyblade. He flung fireballs at Raphael as he ran closer, but Raphael dodged past all of them and struck at Lea's Remnant. His Keyblade was deflected by the one held by Lea's Remnant, and he quickly spun around, ready for the next attack.

_"Isa! Why couldn't I save you?" _The next attack came in the form of more fireballs. These swirled and gathered at the spiral on the end of his Keyblade, then spun out quickly. Unlike the first salvo, these went to both sides, then swerved towards Raphael. This way, they came in three directions, and it was much harder for Raphael to dodge. He stumbled back, then yelled "Dark Maelstrom! " and spun around, destroying as many fireballs as he could. Once the smoke cleared, he saw Lea's Remnant swinging his fiery Keyblade at him.

_"Why could I not raise you from the Darkness?" _Raphael jumped back and fired a Dark Firaga at the ground to try and gain some breathing room. He realized with alarm that he had backed up to the edge of the plateau. "_I seriously hope" _Riku said_ "you didn't think that he'd be stopped by _fire_ of all things."_

Kingdom Hearts! Raphael jumped up into the air, just as Lea's Keyblade thrust into the air where Raphael was. He gathered in Darkness into his Keyblade, then came down where Lea's Remnant had been, creating a shockwave as he hit the ground. Lea avoided the Keyblade itself but was flung back by the shockwave causing cracks to appear all over his armour. Golden fire began to leak out, and streamed out of the armour to form a ring of fire, trapping Raphael in.

_"Roxas…I should have stood by you." _A streak of it was sent towards Raphael. Raphael dodged and quickly sent a bolt of Dark Thundaga in return. Lea now ran over with his Keyblade outstretched, streams of golden fire rushing out of his armour and swerving to the sides before heading for Raphael's sides like a salvo of holy arrows. With attacks coming on all three sides, Raphael had no chance but to fall back and fire off more long range magic.

_"The son should never die before the father." _Lea's Remnant absorbed it all with his Keyblade, then flung it back at Raphael. Feeling the heat of the fire right behind him, he drew in even more Darkness and yelled "Dark Aura!" Raphael appeared behind Lea's Remnant, who whirled around and jumped aside, and Raphael was only able to gouge a dent in his torso. Raphael teleported again and came from above, but Lea moved aside and sent streams of golden fire towards Raphael. Raphael teleported for the third time and sent a bolt of Dark Thundaga before striking. This worked, and Lea's Remnant, who had been struck off balance by the lightning was unable to avoid Heaven's Clarity. It struck him right in the chest, and it shattered. **[end 13th Struggle]**

Raphael expected more power to issue from Lea's Remnant, but the opposite occurred and all the golden fire was sucked back into the armour, repairing it. "_I did _not_ know he could do that" _Riku said "_He has got to teach Eraqus that trick." _Looking at Eraqus' crumbled and broken armour, Raphael agreed.

Lea slumped slightly, then adopted his original stance, with his Keyblade stuck in the ground. If Raphael had to do that all over again...

_"Don't worry" _Riku said "_We woke him out of his slumber. He'll be there whenever you want to spar against him. For now, just rest."_

Who was Isa? He seemed very important to Lea. Jason hadn't mentioned him either.

_"Isa was Lea's childhood friend, but they drifted apart when they become Nobodies in Organization XIII." _Riku replied_ "In the Second Keyblade War, Isa became one of Xehanort's thirteen vessels, and the two had to fight each other."_

Raphael nodded, glad that for once, he had gotten a straight answer.

As they headed back, Raphael could sense Riku thinking, but when Riku didn't say anything, Raphael didn't bother to ask. When they reached the plateau, Raphael wondered where Riku was trained. All the books said that Sora, Riku and Kairi had been blessed with the power of Light to defeat the enroaching Darkness. Was that true?

_"We all drew on the power of Light." _Riku said _"But I got my power from Terra. Not in the normal way." _he added _"It was when I was 5. Terra came to the Destiny Islands for some reason, I still don't know why, and he took me aside and passed on the power of the Keyblade to me." _Riku smiled _"It's funny. He said pretty serious and important stuff to me, but I forgot about it completely the next day. Having a Keyblade gives you the power to draw on Light and Darkness both. If anything, we were blessed by Terra."_

Then how did Sora get his Keyblade? Did Terra do the same for him? _"No." _Riku said _"I'm not sure how he got it. Maybe he really was blessed by Light." _He laughed, then fell silent again. Raphael mentally nudged him, but Riku didn't say anything, making it clear the conversation was over.

* * *

THE NEXT DAY...

_"After that slightly embarrassing performance yesterday, I think additional tuition is needed."_

Raphael had got up, healing his burns he sustained from Lea yesterday. All things considered, he didn't think he did that badly.

_"Lea was holding back." _Riku disagreed "_You waste a lot of your power, and can't use it effectively. Besides, the moment you go against someone who has experience dealing with attacks like Dark Aura, you'll be dead."_

Raphael had to admit he'd been relying on that a lot. So who was his new mentor going to be? Riku paused, and then said _Your new mentor is over on that plateau to the side. His name was Marek Rikkison._

Raphael had barraged Riku with questions, but Riku wasn't answering, instead choosing to let Marek tell his tale. So here Raphael was, on the edge of yet another plateau facing yet another Hero of Light. Of course, he had only heard of the Terra, Ven, Aqua, Kairi, Riku and Sora. He supposed the others were written out along with other things.

Marek's armour was undeniably of the Darkness, but unlike Riku's it had an older, more ancient feeling to it. While Riku's had been polished and unmarred (before Raphael had rent a gaping hole in the middle) Marek's was a dark grey, and scratched everywhere. Then Raphael saw that the scratches weren't random, and were actually glyphs that spidered across the whole suit of armour. They added to the gravity and power of the armour, and even though Riku's armour commanded the same strength, Marek's seemed to be overflowing with power from a time long gone. Riku's armour was also sleeker and more elegant, while Marek's was slightly bulkier, looking more ominous than Riku's.**{Marek's theme [Archangel, Two Steps From Hell]}**

_"I failed everyone. Gave into Darkness..." _Marek's Remnant stood up and summoned his Keyblade, Wanderer's Legacy, into his hand. Raphael quickly followed suit, and gathered the Darkness in around him. The familiar euphoria came, as his senses became sharper, but he was shocked when Marek's Remnant did the same. He must have been strong to be able to summon Darkness with his armour intact.

Raphael could sense when Darkness would be released, and knew that Marek's Remnant was going to send a bolt of dark energy towards him. He responded with a Dark Firaga, and the two blasts met in an explosion that shielded Marek's Remnant from his sight. He dashed around, trying to go to the side, but Marek's Remnant had the same idea and the sounds of their Keyblades rang before the flames of the last explosion had died down.

_"My brother! How could I give in to illusion?" _Infused with the power of Darkness, whenever Marek's Remnant swung Raphael's arms thudded painfully and his knees buckled. He saw an armoured gauntlet draw back and leapt above Marek's Remnant before another Dark Thundaga could be released. His eyes widened when he saw the gauntlet point upwards, and he was forced to use his Keyblade to block the Dark Thundaga.

_"My father, how could I use you like some puppet of Darkness?" _Falling to the ground, Raphael got up and gathered in even more Darkness to his legs before going in again. He side-stepped the first strike sent towards him, then went for two quick slashes. Marek's Remnant blocked both of them, but Raphael's next thrust glanced off his shoulder. Marek's Remnant stumbled back, firing off Dark Fire at the ground to prevent Raphael from advancing any further, then regained his footing and stood, facing Raphael.

Marek's Remnant was growing more impressive by the minute. By now, any other Keyblade Master would have been taken over with rage and come rushing at Raphael. It had made them easy to anticipate and would have given Raphael an edge he had sorely needed.

_"My nephew, I was never there for you when you needed me." _Marek's Remnant threw a Dark Firaga at the ground in front of Raphael, blinding him. Raphael jumped back, but was still caught unawares by Marek's Remnant, who had jumped high into the air and now bore down on Raphael. Raphael swung Heaven's Clarity upwards, trying to strike Marek's Remnant first, but Wanderer's Legacy changed direction and deflected Raphael's strike. Marek's Remnant still crashed into Raphael, but it was only the armour itself that hit Raphael and neither was fazed.

_"My niece, how could I attempt to use you for my own twisted cause?"_ Marek's Remnant dashed straight at Raphael, but Raphael had seen this done on multiple occasions by other Keyblade Masters and narrowly avoided the strike while slashing at the breastplate of Marek's Remnant while infusing all the Darkness he could in that strike.

_"I have failed my family, everyone of them!" _Raphael was a user of Darkness himself, but even he was blown back by the force that escaped from Marek's shattered armour. Raphael gulped and hoped that Marek would come to his senses. **[end Marek's theme]**

_"So do I" _Riku said "_He was one of the best, and unlike you could control that power."_

When the wind had died down, Marek stood there, looking at Raphael _"Riku. How long has it been? Why have you woken me from slumber?"_

Raphael hesitated but was shoved away to the back of his mind "_Sorry about doing this every time" _Riku said "_but I think it would be better if I did the talking."_

"He freed me from my slumber, Marek." Riku said with Raphael's voice "I had to help him conquer his own Darkness and abandoned my vessel in the process."

_"Darkness should be conquered by one's own self. I doubt the strength of this vessel. Can he free rain from this barren land?"_

"I can vouch for his resolve" Riku replied "And soon the earth, wind and water shall aid us to free rain from its slumber. You're right though. He isn't ready yet. He'll need your help."

Marek stood still for a moment longer, then nodded. _"He is weary, his Darkness depleted. Come back tomorrow."_ He turned and went back to the center of his plateau and knelt down, thrusting his Keyblade into the ground.

Riku mentally nudged him, and Raphael turned and headed back to their plateau. _"First impressions of Marek?" _Riku asked when they had gotten back. Raphael thought for a bit, then said, his voice had been stronger than the others. And what was the earth, wind and water Riku had talked about. Was he referring to Terra, Ventus and Aqua, Heroes of Light? Their names were derived directly from an ancient language that meant earth, wind and water respectively.

Raphael dismissed the idea. When Riku talked inside his Heart, he evoked images from Raphael's mind to convey his meaning. When Riku had said "earth, wind and water" he had evoked images of the mountains, the huge river that wound through Rain's Valley behind Raphael, and the feeling of dirt blown into Raphael's eyes. Yet Riku _had_ meant the Heroes of Light to some extent, because the image of the three furthest plateaus had also been evoked.

Concentrating on how Riku talked to him was complicated. Raphael never thought about it because it came naturally. _"Good, keep it that way." _Riku interjected _"We've just had a demonstration about how thinking too much can hurt you."_

Raphael mentally glared at Riku, then lay on the ground. There weren't any stars in the dark sky. This world was too far from the others to be able to see them, and it was close enough to the Realm of Darkness that his vision was obscured by the Darkness in the air.

_"Technically this is the Realm in Between." _Riku said, _"but I think that got erased as well. Much simpler to have just Light and Darkness. Having stuff in between must have sent out the wrong message."_

So there were actually three Realms? Raphael supposed it didn't matter much. Riku cut in again _"There are four realms. The last realm is the Realm of Nothingness."_

What was this Realm? What was in it?

_"Nothing." _Riku replied shortly. Then he projected an image of him turning over and going to sleep. Raphael got the message and did the same.

* * *

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Raphael. TerraKH owns Marek and I guess Pierce although he was only mentioned. TheEighthLight owns Griffin, and Angelic Winds owns Ava. Square Enix owns everything else.**

**And yes, I did have Raphael think of Terra, Ven, and Aqua at the earth, wind and water "riddle". That's because I just want you to know it's not going to be that simple. It's half right, but... not quite. ;)**


	7. Part 1, Chapter 7

**And this is the next chapter. After this, things will speed up more. We're getting close to having all the cards on the table now.**

**TerraKH: Glad you like Marek!**

**The Unknowing Herald: Thanks. I'll make sure to leave plenty of room for Raphael.**

**SorasApprenticeNumberOne: I've done a lot of the work for part 1 already, so I can update quickly. Afterwards, it might be a little longer. **

* * *

THE NEXT DAY...

_"Your power over Darkness is admirable" _said Marek _"but your control is conspicuously absent." _

Raphael stood in front of Marek, wondering what Marek was going to teach him.

_"Summon this much amount of Darkness" _Marek continued as a ball of Darkness appeared in his hand and stretched itself _"And manipulate its shape as I do."_

For the rest of that day Raphael sat on the ground and tried to stretch and move the ball of Darkness in his hands. Raphael's mind was put to the test, as he had to tie the Darkness in knots, make it trace various shapes in the air, all the while making sure the Darkness didn't get out of control. Raphael had lost count of the number of times he had had to release the Darkness to stop exploding.

As the sun set, Raphael was sweating with exhaustion and wondered why in the name of Light Marek was getting him to do it. He didn't know what the point of all this was. He asked Marek, who replied _"Power is the first step to wielding Darkness. Control is the second."_

"If you have great power" Raphael disagreed "it doesn't matter how much control you have." It didn't extend to just control of Darkness. In fighting as well, power trumped all.

Remnants didn't sigh, but Raphael could sense that Marek dearly wanted to. _"Youth. Can't believe we all used to be so immature. I guess a fight is the quickest way to make you see sense." _

Marek stood, and Raphael followed suit gladly. He called Heaven's Clarity to his hand as Marek called Wanderer's Legacy to his. Raphael gathered in the Darkness and felt it swirl within him quickly. He felt Marek call in less, and his aura only extended to cover him. With a flash, Raphael ran at Marek and jumped, but Marek sidestepped and punched Raphael in the chest. Normally the Darkness dulled the impact, but Marek had blown away the Darkness around Raphael's chest and he felt as if he only had one lung as he struggled to gain breath. Before he knew it, Marek's Keyblade was pointed at Raphael's neck.

_"You waste the Darkness you gather, letting it leak out like a waterfall. And do you always rush into your opponents?"_

Grimacing, Raphael got up again "How was that better control? You were just faster than me."

_"How did I break away your Darkness, if not by compressing what little I exuded into a small area and forcing my way to your body."_

_"Most of the time" _Riku affirmed "_battles are won by effectively using power at the right time to score critical blows, not blasting power and destroying buildings."_

Raphael shrugged, but he couldn't argue after he'd been thoroughly beaten. He was just glad the Keyblade Masters he'd fought before had obviously lost most technical ability they had once possessed, or he would have died several times over.

* * *

A WEEK LATER...

Raphael grinned in satisfaction as he ran the Darkness through a figure of eight, twisting it in a corkscrew at the same time. He looked up as Marek stopped manipulating his ball of Darkness. _"Now you have control, you need to put it into battle." _He said. When Raphael had gotten up, he continued, _"To do this, you have to be able to understand the flow of your opponent and predict where the opponent will strike, and how he will do so."_

Raphael nodded. Truth to be told, he had already done something like this with his master. Riku merely snorted "_From what I've seen of your Master, the standards have really plummeted in the last millenium. Marek's trying to teach you something different."_

Raphael listened more intently _"This doesn't hold for novices, but the more power your opponent has, the more he relies on Light or Darkness. Both have a certain flow and infuse everyone's strikes with that flow."_

Raphael nodded, but wasn't sure what Marek meant. Marek could tell and he stood and said, _"Sense my movements. Close your eyes and sense how the Darkness flows within me."_

Raphael did as he was told and opened himself to the world. As usual there were the thousands of voices that he knew were the echoes of thousands of Keyblade Masters. Then there was Marek, with a storm of Darkness in the center of his body.

At first all Raphael could sense was a whirling vortex of Darkness in the center of Marek's armour; but, as Raphael looked, he saw tendrils of Darkness snake through Marek's armour, as intricate as the glyphs engraved onto them. He saw Marek's every move start from the center of his body and leave it in the form of the dark aura surrounding him. As Marek slashed a tendril moved on the outside of his arm, then curving back to his hand. As Marek jumped several tendrils spiralled through to his knees, then his feet. As Marek infused his Keyblade with Darkness, tendrils grew together to form the shape of a rope, then sped to his hand and were released in a blast of Darkness.

Unthinking, Raphael stood and drew his own Keyblade. When he drew in Darkness, he could practically see it gather and storm within him. He looked up and saw Marek push another small storm into his legs and knew instinctively that he would charge. He sent a small breeze into his feet, sidestepping, then sent a gust through his right arm. Marek blocked the strike with his other arm, and he could sense tendrils of Darkness gathering at the point of contact, lessening the impact.

He stood back, and was trying to say something to Raphael. He opened his eyes and found that he was breathing heavily, despite not having exerted himself much. "Is that" he panted "Is that how you always see fights?"

Marek nodded_ "Rest for now. We'll practice this again in the morning."_

Raphael nodded and made his way down to the bottom of Riku's plateau. He had made a small shelter there where he was sheltered from the wind and the sun.

_"I suppose having me inside your Heart helped" _Riku said_ "but you're extremely talented in your own right."_

Raphael smiled at the compliment and sat down on the earth. He could see how much this newfound power would help him. "_Do what? Wage war on the Grandmasters?"_

Raphael didn't want to think about them. There was no way they would admit the truth, and so long as they denied Raphael's words, there was no hope. Why did Riku persist in bringing up this topic of conversation?

Riku was silent for a moment, then replied _You needed to know the truth about the Grandmasters, but it was foolish of me for planting doubts inside you." _Riku said the words, but Raphael detected an underlying sense of sadness and... guilt.

Riku was hiding something from him. Something important.

He received no answer, and after waiting for a few minutes, resigned himself to Riku's silence on the matter and went to sleep.

* * *

A WEEK LATER…

_"Told you so."_

Raphael really wanted Riku to shut up. Of course, Riku never did what he wanted. Whenever Raphael wanted Riku to continue, he'd shut up. Now, though…

_"You really don't have anyone else to blame for this."_

Raphael never said he did. He just wanted Riku to shut up for Darkness' sake.

_"Marek warned you as well. I think he found it pretty funny."_

Raphael didn't believe that. For one thing, he could sense the emotions of the Remnant's pretty clearly by now, whether it was amusement, exasperation, solemnness, or contentment. That, and he didn't imagine Marek as the kind of person who would find a broken leg funny.

_"I still think it's a little funny."_

Well, wasn't it a good thing Marek didn't share a sense of humour. All things considered, Marek was patient, although his random remarks about the Grandmasters (which he'd learnt from Riku) and Raphael and life in general were new to him. For one thing, he was the only Remnant Raphael had heard who didn't have his speech garbled. He hadn't mentioned "barren land" or anything else since he was first awoken. That also meant he had humour down much quicker than Riku had.

He had been amused when Raphael told him that most Highmasters had their Keyblades manifested in the forms of many other weapons to gain more power. He knew that Grandmaster Astelik could manifest his Keyblade into a long sword that trailed heavenly fire in its wake. There was nothing in any of the Realms that could cut it. He knew that Grandmaster Arcostan could manifest his Keyblade into a quarterstaff that created a space around him that none could penetrate, becoming the ultimate defence by knocking back anything that tried to enter. He had even held back pure Darkness and Light as a demonstration in front of the Journeymen.

Marek had been unimpressed, merely commenting _"So, after a thousand years of development, the Keyblades have evolved to… a stick."_

Talk like that could have a Highmaster demoted back to a Journeyman, but Raphael couldn't help chuckling.

_"Wait, so if the sword can cut through anything, and the stick can keep anything out," _Marek said, ignoring Raphael's consternation at the use of the word "stick" instead of "quarterstaff" _"What would happen if those two Grandmasters fought each other."_

It was just idioms surrounding the Grandmasters, not reality. Marek shook his head, and said _"The more you praise the idea, the stronger you think it is. If they didn't have Kingdom Hearts on their side, we'd send them crawling out of Radiant Garden without summoning our Keyblades."_

Raphael disagreed. The Grandmasters had mastered techniques reserved only for the Highmasters, and no doubt had more that only they knew. Even without the power of Kingdom Hearts they'd still be a force to be reckoned with. He hadn't said anything, though, because he wanted to keep on practicing how to control Darkness.

For the past week, Marek had taught him to redirect the storm after each attack. Normally, the remainder of the energy used for whatever movement was released as well, but Marek had told him to hang onto the energy, retracting it like rubber. This way it zoomed back with more force and could be redirected into another attack. Like a circle that never ended; Like a storm that never ceased. Of course, if it was misdirected, it could lead to ruptured vessels, burst ligaments, and even broken bones.

He had broken his leg while he was sparring with Marek that morning, and as a result, his stomach was also aching where Marek had punched him. Marek hadn't meant to and thought that Raphael would dodge. _"Except that you didn't" _Riku said flippantly.

_"You stomach's your weakest point." _Marek had said _"A punch there will disperse the Darkness you've collected, making you vulnerable." _He had paused, and then corrected himself _"Well, when I say weakest I mean the point which would cost you most in a fight. As for weakest, I think we both know which body part takes _that_ particular prize." _Sometimes Marek just seemed cocky and uncaring whenever he talked like that. At other times, it seemed like bravado to cover up something else.

They had been sparring as usual that morning. Marek had surprised him, and he'd needed to jump to avoid it. Unfortunately, that involved a movement unavailable to humans with their given bone structure, and when Raphael forced the storm through his leg in that particularly impossible movement, it broke, scattering the Darkness he gathered throughout his body.

_"Seeing the Darkness inside you explode like that and still return to your stomach was pretty beautiful" _Riku added unhelpfully _"Almost like poetry."_

It sure as hell didn't feel like poetry. It felt incredibly painful. Marek had said that since it was done using Darkness and cause by a practical explosion within, it would hurt much more than other broken limbs, and didn't want Raphael straining it for the rest of the day, even after Raphael had cast a Curaga. Come to think of it, he hadn't ever seen a Remnant cast a cure or Light spell before. Were they incapable of it?

_"No." _Riku said _"We just choose not to. You've been doing it so well anyways."_

Wasn't that fantastic. All in all though, Raphael had gotten a lot stronger. _"Next time just make sure you don't use that newfound strength to break your bones." _Riku added.

Having Riku in his head definitely had its pluses when it came to wielding Darkness, Marek commented once that it took months of practice of becoming used to using the Darkness to get to this stage. Of course, he doubted that any of the others broke their limbs, but some drawbacks were to be expected. On the other hand, the downside of having another person inside him did grate on his nerves a little. Pure privacy was impossible. It didn't help that Riku seemed to revel in poking fun at him.

He saw why so much control was needed, when he could break his own body apart if he slipped up.

_"Yeah." _Riku said in a more serious tone, _"I never did this sort of thing until I'd defeated Xehanort. Before then, I just used the Darkness instinctively. That's how it should be done, so you get used to the movements that are infused with Darkness, but we don't have that luxury."_

How much more time until Eraqus, Lea, Jason or Marek lost their minds? How long until they just became one of three hundred, doomed to repeat their last moments to any wanderer who might stray to this world.

_"Not long." _Riku said _"After all, how long can we protect rain without our minds? We'll act soon."_

And then would Raphael get answers? _"You get answers every day" _Riku muttered _"You just don't get all of them, which is what annoys you."_

Fair enough, although if Riku just told him straight away, he wouldn't be this annoyed. Smiling, he picked out one of the few stars he could still see, and fell asleep as he gazed at it.

* * *

**I'm not going to go with a disclaimer, we all know who owns what. I tried to explain Raphael's battles more, but of course I'm not going to describe it in full detail in later fights. I also give Marek more character, but I hope he didn't come off as too snarky, since that wasn't really the point. Also, apologies for the lack of music, but it's harder to find normal BGM rather than epic battle music. Anyways, hope you all enjoyed!**


	8. Part 1, Chapter 8

**Here it is. The next chapter. This marks the end of the days where Raphael wakes up, fights a remnant, then goes back to sleep. **

**The Unknowing Herald: I see your notorious X-ray vision that can see through any story has come into play. I must be vigilant! :)**

**SorasApprenticeNumberOne: Glad you appreciated the humour.**

**TerraKH: Thanks! As for seeing new masters, you'll see more than one brought into play next time.**

* * *

1 WEEK LATER...

_"How would you like to battle Sora?" _Riku asked. Raphael had just gotten up, and following his normal routine would have gone to spar again with Marek. He hadn't yet won.

Raphael stiffened in excitement at the news. Sora was _the_ hero, the one who had rescued his friends from the Darkness, then defeated Xehanort with the help of his friends. Would Marek be alright with it?

_"Marek was the one who suggested it" _Riku replied "_and just for the record, I obtained the rank of Master before Sora, thank you very much."_

Smiling, Raphael jumped up to the top of Riku's plateau, then followed Riku's directions to a plateau where Sora's Remnant knelt. Raphael was breath taken by the beauty of the armour. It was as polished and unmarred as Riku's had been, but was golden and shone under the harsh sun. Raphael noticed that there was what used to be a white cape that was grey and tattered from centuries of wear. He supposed only the armour itself was immune to the elements.

_"Riku" _The armour said _"What are you doing in this barren land?"_

Raphael and Riku both were stunned. How could Sora be speaking, albeit in speech contaminated by the voices.

_"Nope, not Sora." _How could the armour read their minds?

_"Our Hearts are connected." _Riku said "_You saw how I could just jump from mine to yours. He can figuratively see me and by extension, some of our thoughts." _He spoke to the armour from inside Raphael's Heart "_I assume I'm speaking to Roxas?"_

What was Riku talking about? Who was Roxas? Wasn't this Sora's Remnant? But the suit of armour nodded and stood.

_"Is it time? Is it time for us to waken from this barren land?"_

Raphael felt Riku take over and heard him say "No. But in a few weeks, the earth, wind and water itself will bend themselves to free these Masters from their endless slumber."

Again with these damned riddles. What was Riku talking about? He had mentioned the same thing to Marek. It frustrated Raphael how much Riku hid from him; like he needed to dangle a treat in front of Raphael's face in order for him to keep going. He would stay with Riku and the rest no matter what, until they were freed. They had earned that much loyalty from him.

He listened to Sora, or Roxas', reply. _"You want me to spar with him?"_

Riku nodded. "He's mastering the Darkness, now he needs to be pitted against the Light." **[The Other Promise, Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix]**

The suit of armour nodded, then summoned two Keyblades into each hand. One was dark, and it gathered the Darkness around him. At first, Raphael thought Riku had summoned his Keyblade, but realized that it was just the Keyblade that exuded the same presence and power Riku did.

_"Memories of me" _Riku said, "_It represents my life and everything it entails. It's called Oblivion. The other one in his hand is memories of Kairi, born of the promises made in their time of youth. It's called Oathkeeper."_

The Keyblade Riku had just described was white, contrasting with the dark aura of the other. The pointed star at the end glimmered in the sun, and seemed the colours seemed to change and move as Roxas twirled them expertly in his hands and adopted a battle stance. Raphael summoned Heaven's Clarity to his hand and began drawing the Darkness within him. Remembering what he'd learnt under the tutelage of Marek, he let the storm within him swirl in one direction, then using the momentum gained he thrust it into his arm and sent a wave of Darkness shooting at Roxas.

Roxas ducked, and sent a flurry of blows towards Raphael, but Raphael could match each blow and kept moving to one side, not allowing Roxas to swing both blades at him at once. They danced in a circle for some time, each of them trying to get an opening into one another. Then Raphael succeeded, tearing a gash through Roxas' leg.

_"It's been two hundred and fifty six days since I joined" _There was a rumble, as white light flowed and covered Roxas' body. Roxas' lowered his head, then glided towards Raphael. There was no other way to put it. Whenever Eraqus' or Marek charged, it was like they were forcing themselves through the air. When Roxas ran it seemed to be part of the air, and he slashed through Raphael's shoulder, moving faster than either Eraqus or Marek. Raphael would have been severely injured if Riku hadn't taken over and jumped out of the way, avoiding blades of light that spun out in a circle from Roxas.

_"Nah, no one would miss me" _Raphael dulled the pain with Darkness, then readied his Keyblade. Roxas flew over and spun, creating a shockwave that blew Raphael back. Raphael landed on his feet, then hastily gathered in Darkness to blast away ethereal blades that whistled towards him, one after another. Before the blades had stopped coming, Roxas leapt into the air and dove at Raphael. Raphael spun aside, managing to get away with just a scratch on his chest.

_"Enough about Sora! I am me, and no one else!" _Roxas kept on coming, his ethereal blades slashing at him, not giving him any chance to gather in the Darkness or counterattack. The faster Raphael tried to dash back, the faster Roxas would glide across the ground as if he were a phantom. Roxas would move around Raphael, keeping him off balance as he constantly tried to follow Roxas' blade.

As they fought, Raphael could feel his sorrow, his sadness, for losing friends dear to him. And then Raphael realised. These weren't laments for past mistakes; Roxas was reliving the saddest memories of his short life. He was looking back on his past mistakes and regrets. Raphael felt as if he was a fox, trying to leap at a bird that swooped in every direction; as unpredictable and unreadable as the wind.

_"Who will I have ice-cream with!?" _The air darkened with Roxas' power as he gathered all thirteen blades in a circle around him, then released energy spheres of Light soaring towards Raphael. Raphael dodged the first few, but there were too many, and he got caught in the middle of several detonations. He forced Darkness to his skin, minimizing the impact, but he still fell to the floor, completely defeated. **[end The Other Promise]**

What was this power? Roxas' armour hadn't even been broken much. And who was Roxas anyways? Why was he residing in Sora's armour? "_Could you be a little quieter?" _Riku asked "_If you can't stop asking questions, at least ask them quietly."_

Raphael waited, and Riku said "_Didn't Jason fill you in on everything? Roxas is Sora's nobody. There are two Hearts inside that armour. No wonder he could go all out despite one Heart being in hibernation."_

Raphael nodded. Was this his new sparring partner? Riku confirmed it, then went back into the recesses of Raphael's mind. Looking back at the now placid suit of armour, Raphael went back to his sleeping spot, replaying Roxas' attacks in his mind, and trying to prepare himself for it next time.

* * *

1 WEEK LATER...

Raphael lay on the ground, defeated, at the hands of Roxas. Again. Was this the power of a Hero of Light at full power, or was Roxas just especially strong? Riku had been quiet of late, and there were times when Raphael forgot that Riku was even there.

Normally Raphael got caught up in the rush of battle, but whenever he fought Roxas, all he could feel was the sadness and longing for lost friends. It put a damper on the fight, and made Raphael wonder how just his cause was. If it did go through, there would be huge upheaval, and friends might be forced to fight friends, and there would be more people like Roxas. How much chaos would it bring?

_"In the past," _Riku said _"Peace was achieved by conquering and killing anyone else close to you. Your cause is a good one, but you have to bear in mind that the way you achieve your goal is also important."_

So what did Riku think he should do? What was the purpose of this newfound strength of his?

_"That's why it's so hard to know what you should do." _Riku replied_ "Perfect actions are non-existent, and you just have to prioritize what you want, and address your priorities first."_

Raphael still wanted to bring truth to the Realm of Light, reveal Kingdom Hearts for what it really was, but he had to do it with as little lives lost as possible. Then again, if it were revealed that the Grandmasters had been lying to the whole Realms, what would they do in retaliation? Would they fracture into two opposing factions? Would a war escalate?

_"No one can predict the future." _Riku replied _"You just have to go with what happens and take opportunities when you best can. Just make sure you don't walk in ignorance. Never close yourself to the consequences. The day you shut yourself off to that is the day you know your cause is a bad one and you refuse to admit it. Considering the possibility of a war is good. It shows you're thinking, and not just the kid you were when you got here."_

Man, being wise wasn't all it was cracked up to be. The wiser you got the more you realized how much just couldn't be done. Some might say it seemed hopeless _"Those are the ones who choose to live in ignorance" _Riku said, _"You can never convince those of the truth."_

Raphael picked out one of the few stars in the sky and stared at it, like he did every night as he went to sleep. The star glimmered and seemed to grow smaller and larger as his eye went in and out of focus. It had become a sort of ritual he had partaken in. _"The stars went out whenever something bad happened." _Riku murmured _"They were going out when Sora and I first started out from the Destiny Islands."_

Was it the worlds falling into Darkness? Riku nodded without saying anything, but sent images to Raphael. Images of Riku wading in the Darkness, his face twisted into an evil sneer. Images of the Door to Darkness, and how he and and Sora close it. Both of them looked incredibly young, and nothing like how they were portrayed in the books. Raphael stayed staring up at the night sky a little longer, also wondering if the stars would be going out anytime soon now.

* * *

THE NEXT DAY…

When he woke up and completed the usual morning ritual, Eraqus raised his hand in greeting, beckoning Raphael over.

_"Tell Riku we must alert earth, wind and water to do our bidding now. We must be freed from this barren land."_

Raphael let Riku take over and listened curiously. Would he finally find more answers to the questions that had been nagging him? "It's still too soon. Raphael is unready. He still has a long way to go."

_"My strength is waning. I have given much ground to those shades that seek to gain footholds in my Heart."_

Riku went back down into Raphael's Heart and looked across to where Eraqus fought. More than half of the glass podium had been shattered, and even from afar it was clear that Eraqus was flagging.

Breaking the surface of consciousness again, Riku nodded. "It appears we overestimated ourselves. Very well, then. We shall make our move."

Riku jumped back to his plateau and sat on the ground, ushering Raphael to take control. "_We need to teach you how to make contact with Kingdom Hearts."_

Raphael had seen this coming, but was still reluctant. He had come to accept that the Grandmasters had been lying, but old habits died hard and this was one of the oldest ones he had. "_Don't be afraid." _Riku reassured him "_You have wanted to change the worlds. Changing yourself is the first step."_

Raphael nodded and listened to Riku. "_Open yourself as if you were drawing in the Darkness." _Once Raphael had done this, he could hear the usual hum of regret coming from the Keyblade Masters he was surrounded by. "_Ignore them. Focus on the world itself. The rocks, the clouds, the soil. Focus on it."_

Raphael dug down, and found it. The mountains and clouds didn't call out to him like the other Keyblade Masters, but they were there. "_Trace its source. All things lead to the Heart of this world. Find the Heart. Find it."_

Raphael strained himself to go deeper and deeper into the world itself. It was like trying to trace a thin crack across the whole plateau. Raphael would lose track of it within seconds. He dug, and found that the earth was _alive_; not just connected to the Heart of the world but _conscious_. What was going on? All worlds couldn't be like this. As he listened, he could hear the earth moan _"Free us from the barren land. Protect rain, it cannot come. Free us. Free us."_

_"Concentrate. Find the Heart of the world." _Riku's voice was persistent now, like the wind whispering in his ear. Raphael refused. Not until Riku told him exactly why the earth was sentient. Was this what he meant when he said he would bend the earth to his command? How was the earth alive?

_"Please. You must free us. We have been enchained here for so long..." _Was it Riku or the earth that said that. He couldn't tell the difference between the two.

Why was the earth alive? And why were all the Keyblade Masters obsessed with the rain? And why did they need him?

_"Kingdom Hearts is the cumulation of all the Hearts in the world. All that knowledge, all that power, just waiting to be accessed. Don't you want to find answers? Link yourself to Kingdom Hearts and you can find out whatever you want." _

For a moment Raphael wanted to more than anything he had ever wanted. He could prove everything to the Grandmasters, be recognized for what he really was. Then he realized Riku was playing with his Heart, making him want to do it. His resolve strengthened, and he refused.

"Raphael, please."

He was on the glass podium that was his Heart in the Station of Awakening. Facing him was Riku and Roxas. Raphael looked over and saw Sora still in hibernation, keeping the shades at bay. "Why won't you tell me anything?"

Roxas sighed "We need Kingdom Hearts. We need its power to restore us."

Raphael relaxed slightly, but was still suspicious. The explanation seemed too easy. "Why couldn't you summon it yourself?"

"Our Hearts are broken, Raphael." Riku said "Kingdom Hearts won't respond to us."

The explanation seemed legitimate enough. "I'll be able to call it, just like that? I won't just be drawing on its power. You want me to draw the physical manifestation of Kingdom Hearts to this world. Do I have enough power?"

"That's what we've been training you for." said Roxas "That's why you're so important to us."

"It'll be difficult," Riku said, "but definitely possible. Xehanort could call it just by himself. We don't know how, so we'll need to go the long way. It'll be difficult"

Raphael seemed convinced, but took one last look at Riku. His face was unreadable, as was his Heart, but this was suspicious itself. Why would Riku need to hide anything? **[Fanfare for the Brave, Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood]**

Unable to come up with a reasonable explanation, Raphael resumed his search for the Heart of the world. There were so many distractions, from the voices, to the conscious earth, to the pull of Darkness and Light that was inherent in every world.

Raphael continued to dig down, ignoring the push of the sentient earth, and finally found his target. It was immense in capacity, and it was as if Raphael could look down into it for an eternity, losing himself in the unending intricacies that were contained within the Heart of a world. He could sense every mountain, every river, every breeze, every plateau, everything that was on this barren land. Raphael could never have imagined something like this.

_"Don't lose yourself" _Riku warned "_Remember who you are. Focus on the Heart of this world, now trace it back even further." _

Right. He was Raphael. And he was going to bring truth to the Realms of Light. He was aided by the Heroes of Light and he would not be deterred. He was going to bring the truth, no matter how many Grandmasters stood in his way. He took a breath and went in even further, tracing the Heart of this world back to its source. He was aware of a great force buffeting him this way and that, and realized that Riku and Roxas alike had been shielding him. "_Drawing on Kingdom Hearts isn't easy, you know. There's bound to be backlash."_

Raphael nodded and reached further.

He didn't need to be told he had reached Kingdom Hearts. Nothing could be mistaken for that immovable force of nature. How was Raphael going to draw it anywhere? He had once heard the Grandmasters had power to equal the demonic power of Kingdom Hearts itself, but Raphael knew now that was a fabrication as false as the fact that Kingdom Hearts was demonic. No man could stand against this vast force of nature. This was a god. And this was something Raphael could even imagine worshipping. How could Raphael ever hope to draw it anywhere? "_With your Heart." _Riku said calmly despite the strain upon his and Roxas' Hearts._ "With the Keyblades that reside in your Heart. Make a link, and then come back. That's all you have to do. Make contact."_

Riku's voice was growing faint, and Raphael knew he didn't have much time. He reached out, and touched Kingdom Hearts. He left an imprint of his own Heart onto Kingdom Hearts, then fell back. As he did so, he realized that Riku was right. Kingdom Hearts contained all the knowledge in the world along with everything else. If only he could have stayed longer, just how much knowledge could he have gained. But, With the strain it took on Riku and Roxas' Hearts, he knew it was just wistful thinking**[end Fanfare for the Brave]**

He gasped as he returned to his body and was back in the Keyblade Graveyard. He quickly searched his Heart for Riku, and was relieved to find that he was still there. He was weak, though, and wasn't in any state to answer questions.

Great timing. Raphael had never wanted answers more. Had he failed or succeeded? Would Kingdom Hearts be emerging from the heavens to free the Keyblade Masters? He thumped the ground weakly in frustration, but it lacked power due to his own exhaustion. It seemed that his whole life was chasing after answers, only to find it was getting further and further away. He was more powerful than most Highmasters, but when would he gain enough power to know what in the name of Darkness was going on?

* * *

**So, that's that. Part 1 is coming to a close soon, and part 2 will obviously not take place solely in the Keyblade Graveyard. If any of you have any requests or suggestions for worlds you would want to see, just tell me. I've already set Radiant Garden as one, and Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance as another (probably). That being said, I'd rather you didn't choose one that has already appeared, because it will be hard writing about it 1000 years after it happened. Mulan would probably turn into writing about Mao Zhedong and the communism in China, and and if you've watched FFVIIAC, 500 years later on Gaia and there's nothing but green grass and Nanaki's descendents, so...yeah. Hope you enjoyed!**


	9. Part 1, Chapter 9

**We are getting close to the end. Of part I at least.**

**TerraKH: Glad you can see his growth. I wanted the dialogue to set a good contrast against the action.**

**The Unknowing Herald: Those are a lot of suggestions! Thanks, and I don't really have many tastes in terms of games. I've only really played the Kingdom Hearts franchise**

* * *

_"Raphael. You need to get up." _Raphael opened his eyes and squinted against the sun. It wasn't normally hot, but today Raphael woke up slightly sweating.

_"We... sort of lied to you." _That got Raphael's attention. He sat bolt upright and directed his anger at Riku. He hadn't heard Riku sound so hesitant before, but he didn't care. How had Riku lied to him. **[Sorrowful Stone, Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood]**

_"We didn't need you to draw Kingdom Hearts here. We needed you to get the attention of the Grandmasters.:_ What? Why did they need the Grandmasters? Raphael jumped to his feet. When were they coming. He knew that he was no match for even one. If all ten came...

Why? This was the story of his Lightdamned life. He would get one answer and three more questions would just stand above him and show him how powerless he was. Damn the Heroes of Light. What did they want to accomplish anyways?

_"We want to protect rain. We always have." _

Why did Riku never tell him anything? When were the Grandmasters coming?

_"Soon. When you touched Kingdom Hearts itself, they felt it. Now they are coming, and we must be ready. We must awaken earth, wind and water_ _or else we shall all perish here."_

So this was all some plot to live forever? Did they all try and retain themselves in their armour, only to find that they couldn't get out of the world they were stuck in? Pathetic. Raphael wasn't going to help them anymore.

Riku was silent for a moment, then said "_The X-Blade. How would you feel if it fell into the hands of the Grandmasters?"_

The X-Blade was the counterpart of Kingdom Hearts. Meant to protect it from anyone who desired its power. If the Grandmasters wielded Kingdom Hearts in one hand and the X-Blade in the other...

_"Exactly why we must stop them. I know we have lied to you, but it has all been to protect the X-Blade from those of ill will. It must be protected. It cannot come to this barren land, or disaster will fall. Don't you see? Rain cannot come._

Realization struck Raphael. Rain had to be protected. Not _the rain_, but rain. Rayne. Rayne Rikkison, vessel of the X-Blade a millenia ago. What was behind these plateaus?

_Rayne's Valley. And four guardians with her. Now come. We must awaken earth, wind and water from their slumber._

Raphael nodded. He furrowed his brow at the second riddle. They headed towards the plateaus where Terra, Ventus and Aqua were, but that didn't explain why images of the mountain and rivers had appeared in his mind whenever Riku mentioned them.

_"Because their Hearts aren't in their armour." _Riku said "_We needed more protectors at first. We were weakened and our minds were still clouded. We attracted the fallen Keyblade Masters here and bound them together with the strengths of their Hearts. Terra, Ventus Aqua. Their Hearts run through the soil, the wind, these rivers. They bind the Keyblade Masters under one purpose: to protect Rayne. They are the earth that calls out for these Keyblades to protect Rayne. They aren't plagued by the shades, because in a way they are the shades. Destroying the Hearts of every Keyblade Master that came here._

Why all this planning? The X-Blade left Rayne, she gave it up to Kingdom Hearts all those years ago. What was the danger in her now?

_When Kingdom Hearts comes to free us, it may be attracted to the past vessel of the X-Blade. It is a risk we can't risk, especially since the arrival of Kingdom Hearts would signal the arrival of a force formidable enough to wield its power. May I take over? _**[end Sorrowful Stone]**

It was the first time he had asked, and Raphael let him without hesitation. "Terra. Wake up. It's me, Riku. The time's here."

Looking around, Raphael saw Eraqus standing over Ventus and Marek standing over Aqua doing the same thing. His attention was swiftly drawn back to Terra he murmured something. "Terra!" Riku said more insistently "Please, it's time. You can throw off the burden you've placed on yourself."

What was Riku talking about? Another question for later. Raphael pushed it to the back of his mind as he felt Terra respond. It was uncanny talking mind to mind with the other Remnants, but talking to Terra was on another level. It was exactly talking to the earth itself: slow and vast. He was spread over the entire world, and over time he had become the entire world; weaving his way into everything dug into the earth. This was what Raphael had touched when he touched Kingdom Hearts. He had touched the earth, and it was Terra. His Heart wasn't plagued by the shades of past Keyblade Masters like everyone else because as Riku had said, he _was _every one of those shades.

_"Wake. Up." _Terra murmured _"Protect. Rayne. Protect. Rayne..."_

Riku sighed. He didn't dare dive into Terra's Heart for fear of getting lost in it. "Terra. Please, remember Aqua, Ven, Master Eraqus. You have to wake up for them. Please."

Terra stood. _"Ven. Aqua. Someday. I. Will. Put. This. Right." _He kneeled back down and continued to murmur _"Have. To. Protect. Rayne. Protect. The. X-Blade. Become. The. Earth. Protect. Rayne."_

Riku groaned "This is not going to be good. The backlash will not be pleasant." He summoned Way to Dawn to his hand and swung it at Terra's armour. The armour broke, then released a huge wave of power through the earth. There was a sound like thunder and Raphael whirled around in time to see the mountains in the distance crumble apart. He was suddenly sprayed by a sudden burst of water and saw the river exuding from its banks in a huge wave down below. Marek had obviously come to the same conclusion as Riku and used the same method to awake Aqua. Eraqus followed suit and they were all buffeted by a veritable typhoon. It went on for some minutes, all the way the sound of mountains crumbling to the ground and some even being thrust up rendered Raphael dizzy, and he fell to the ground clutching his ears. Just how long could the wind blow for? How many mountains were there to fall? When would the water stop raining down on them? When all was over, he looked up and saw that Terra's Remnant was standing. _"Why did you wake me, Riku?"_

This time Riku didn't ask and answered for Raphael "We've been discovered. We need to have the Remnants at the ready."

Terra nodded _"But first... Ven, Aqua, Master Eraqus. Are they well in this barren land?"_

Riku simply gestured to his left and right. Terra leapt to his fellow companions. It was no tearful reunion like in the romantic novels. Nor was it littered with words or actions. The three of them simply stared at one another, and the bond between them was strong enough to the point where no words or gestures were needed. He turned to face Riku. _"Are all of us awakened from our hallowed slumber?"_

Riku shook his head. "There's still Kairi. Sora's still in hibernation but Roxas is still there. He's waking Kairi as we speak."

Raphael looked over and could see flashes of Light issuing from a distant plateau. It was over quickly, and Roxas soon returned with Kairi. _"That makes all of us." _Sora, or was it Roxas, said,_ "Me, Riku, Kairi, Terra, Ven, Aqua, Master Eraqus, Master Jason and Marek."_ There was a pause, then he asked _"Is it time?"_

Marek nodded _"I can feel holes being made in the Darkness. The Grandmasters are coming."_

There was a sudden rumble, and Raphael could feel a hole being ripped into the fabric of the world as the 10 Grandmasters arrived. **[To be King, Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood]**

"Attention!" One of the Grandmasters shouted. Raphael couldn't tell who it was, they were too far away. "You have been found guilty of drawing upon Kingdom Hearts, the ultimate crime. Surrender now and your punishments will be less severe."

Right. The only punishment for drawing upon the power of Kingdom Hearts was death. Another lie by the Grandmasters. He felt Riku taking over, and before he could do anything, he was shouting defiance "We shall not bow down to Keyblade Wielders who use the power of Kingdom Hearts while they deceive the masses."

The Grandmasters were silent, then one stepped forward, and Raphael could see that it was Grandmaster Astelik, the very master that cast him out. Rage bubbled to the surface, but he kept it under control. "I see you have discovered our secret, but it is with good reason that we do so. If it were to fall into the wrong hands, think of the consequences."

Another one stepped forward, and Raphael saw it was Grandmaster Agatha "Why not join forces with us. We can tell your grasp on Kingdom Hearts is weak. We can teach you, in return, you need not inform anyone of your discovery."

These were the honourable Grandmasters, offering to bribe their way out of their predicament? Raphael was filled with rage as he saw the Grandmasters for who they really were. Not living legends to be worshipped, just scared old men and women, hoarding power for themselves while deceiving those who worshipped them. He yelled "I reject you. I reject your false honour. I reject your lies. I reject your offers to draw me into your decrepit ranks. I would tell you to all go to Kingdom Hearts, but that would contaminate it. Come at me with all your strength, for you shall always find it lacking."

The 9 Grandmasters were silent, then together they started muttering an incantation. "_It comes!" _Riku rejoiced "_It comes!" _Wind blew, and a Light shone down from the heavens. The world itself heaved at the pressure of Kingdom Hearts, and it came. Raphael had wondered briefly why no description of it was given, save the classical drawing of a giant heart. Now he knew why.

It was of all colours, shifting between blue, red, orange, always changing and never the same hue or tone. But the main reason was that no mere drawing could ever encompass the shadow of the reality well enough. **[end To be King]**

"Kingdom Hearts! Heed our call!" The Grandmasters shouted out. Raphael saw them glow with power, then disappear in a flash of Light as they summoned their armour. Raphael saw his companions draw forward, their arms outstretched. They were bathed in the glow of Kingdom Hearts, and their armour shimmered in the light. The light grew until Raphael was blinded and had to draw away. When Raphael looked again, he saw all of them standing in resplendent armour, restored by the light of Kingdom Hearts. **[Link to all, Kingdom Hearts DDD]**

"We're restored. We really did it." It was Terra, and he sounded normal, freed from the chains of voices he had built himself. "Ven, Aqua, Master Eraqus. We actually did it."

He summoned his Keyblade, and it carried the gravity of the earth and of the burdens the young man had once placed on itself. Raphael didn't have to be told its name, it just came to him. Ends of the Earth. When he swung it, the ground rumbled, and Raphael could tell he grew strong from bearing the weight of his past failures on losses, as well as his past victories and triumphs.

"Yeah, Terra" This was Aqua and Raphael could sense the quiet but immense resolve behind her and the lengths she was willing to go through for her friends. When she summoned her Keyblade, Stormfall, Raphael knew that it simply couldn't have been called anything else. What else could have represented her limitless tenacity?

"We're together again" Ven said. He summoned his Keyblade, Wayward Wind. As Raphael looked he could sense the optimism and intense friendship he shared for his companions. Raphael's Heart lifted in irrational happiness as he looked at that carefree Keyblade.

"Riku..." This was Sora "Why did you have to sacrifice yourself?"

That was right. Riku's armour was gone, all form it once held long gone. He had no choice but to reside in Raphael. "_Don't worry. I knew what I was doing. It was necessary."_

"Enough with the reunion" Marek said "Let's show these Grandmasters what we're made of." He turned to Raphael and said, "By the way, where's the Grandmaster with the stick?"

* * *

Grandmaster Aelothum summoned his Keyblade. How dare these upstarts think to use the power of Kingdom Hearts. They would show the renegades how misplaced their arrogance was. Suddenly a ring of fire surrounded him. He turned, and saw golden armour streaking towards him yelling "Sonic blade!" Caught off guard, he was about to regain balance when another suit of blue armour came streaking at him with a backhanded grip, also using Sonic Blade. Then, a larger suit of armour, gold and brown, yelled "Sols Arcanum" and streaked to and fro, knocking into the Grandmaster. While he was being buffeted by three Keyblade Masters, he heard someone yell "Dark Aura", and felt Darkness pierce his armour.

From the outside, the other Grandmasters tried to enter the ring of fire, but were held up by Jason, Eraqus and Kairi, who dashed and parried their strikes. All the while, Aqua had her ring of fire strengthened by Lea and still cast spells to keep the Grandmasters at bay. They could only stand by and watch the four Keyblade Masters, Sora, Ventus, Terra and Raphael dash to and fro, and watch as Grandmaster Aelothum fell to the ground, dead. They heard someone yell, "Marek, get us out of here!" And portals of Darkness swallowed them all up.

* * *

Raphael was still buzzing from killing a Grandmaster. For so long they'd been a symbol of power in his mind, and they had killed one in less than a minute. Armour had eliminated facial expressions, but Raphael could still detect the happiness in the Masters. Marek in particular. "They didn't know what hit them" He crowed "Let's do that again."

"They won't be so easy to take by surprise" Terra said "They can probably sense when your portals open, even if they can't predict where. When we go in for another strike, they'll won't be taken by surprise."

"Alright" Sora said, drawing in Light. "Let's go."

Marek opened one portals for everyone, then they stepped through. Aqua drew in power and went into Ghost Drive, while Ventus went into Wingblade mode. Aqua started floating, and her Keyblade floated around there. With Ventus, he six ethereal blades emerged next to him and twirled expertly in the air.

The Grandmasters were prepared for the next strike. They were prepared for Keyblade Masters to come dashing across to them. What they weren't prepared for was Terra's Ultima Canon to fire directly at them from two metres away. All of them were thrown back by the blast, staggering into the rest of the Keyblade Masters who appeared out of Marek's portals of Darkness.

Sora yelled "Ars Arcanum." At the same time, Raphael felt Roxas rise to the surface and yell "Thirteen Blades!" Thirteen blades of Light surrounded Sora, but instead of gliding towards the Grandmasters, they swung to and fro in a complex pattern that made three Grandmasters fall back. In short, it was Ars Arcanum executed thirteen blades at a time.

Next to Raphael, Ventus and Aqua worked together and attacked Grandmaster Agatha. Ventus brushed away any defences with his six blades and Aqua teleported around both of them exploiting any weaknesses that were shown. Rings of golden fire streamed from Lea's own armour, isolating the Grandmasters and keeping them off balance. Jason and Eraqus worked well together in mopping up the three Sora and Roxas had weakened.

Meanwhile, Marek and Terra had grabbed Raphael's hands and compounded the power of Darkness between them. Terra then shot of more than a hundred small bolts of Darkness at the unsuspecting Grandmasters trying to save Grandmaster Agatha from Ven and Aqua. All of them were blown back, and the armour of one Grandmaster crumbled beneath the combined force of the Darkness in Marek, Riku, Raphael and Terra. Raphael saw Grandmaster Arcostan deflecting all of the dark projectiles away with his quarterstaff while Grandmaster Astelik sliced through another large fraction of them. They did live up to their reputation as Grandmasters. But, as the 9 Heroes of Light regrouped in a tight formation, they faced only three more Grandmasters. The rest lay on the floor, unconscious or dead, their armour shattered.**[end Link to All]**

The three remaining Grandmasters regrouped in a small triangle, their Keyblades outstretched. Grandmaster Astelik was among them. "You shall regret this day." He growled "You may have taken us surprise, but we shall return here and make you rue the day you chose to defy the Grandmasters of Radiant Garden."

With that, the three of them threw their Keyblades in the air to make riders, then made to ride off into the portal. They found it shut. There was some panic from the Grandmasters, but the attention of the Sora and the others were caught by a cry for help in the distance.

"It's Jack" Marek said, "I can take you as close as I can, but you know the Unversed and Heartless wreak havoc with the Corridors of Darkness."

Terra nodded. "Marek, bring Raphael and Jason with you. The rest of us will return to our plateaus and keep an eye on the Grandmasters. I don't like this, something's not right."

Marek created another portal and they all walked through, coming out in between two rows of sharp peaks. _"I welcome you, good sir" _Riku said sardonically, _"To Rayne's Valley."_


	10. Part 1, Chapter 10

**Yes, this is indeed the next chapter. I found out yesterday that we were going to this family reunion (actually I think it was mentioned before but I forgot) and I don't think I'll have the ability to update wherever we're going. And after all, leaving you for a week just as we're about to end part I would be on the inhumane side. So, here is another chapter.**

**SorasApprenticeNumberOne: I'm glad you like the Roxas fight. As for gaining a glimpse of unlimited knowledge in Kingdom Hearts, it's because there's just so many Hearts collected there. I can go into more detail in part II.**

* * *

Raphael's attention was immediately caught by whirlwinds that seemed to be heading straight for them. "_The whirlwinds have Unversed or Heartless in them." _Riku said "_You'll have to fight a couple." _**[Fragments of Sorrow, Kingdom Hearts II]**

The three of them advanced, Marek leading the way followed by Raphael and Jason on either sides. Soon, the whirlwinds started travelling towards the trio. At first Raphael didn't notice, but as they drew closer and closer he was awestruck by the size of the whirlwinds. It overtook them, and he raised his arms against the rain that buffeted him. When he opened his eyes, Marek and Jason were already fighting Heartless. They were strong, but all three of them were far stronger and they finished up the Heartless in no time at all.

"Let's keep on going" Marek said "We need to get there as quickly as possible." They walked onwards, and the valley sloped upwards. A second whirlwind came from the side, and when Raphael opened his eyes, beings of pure Darkness he had never seen before flitted about. Heartless were beings of Darkness, but these were different. These were evil.

"Don't get distracted!" Marek yelled. These were stronger than the Heartless, and Raphael drew on more Darkness along with Marek. Jason glowed with Light and it flowed around him furiously. After some minutes, they vanquished their foes and emerged back into the Keyblade Graveyard.

"What were those things?" Raphael asked "They weren't Heartless."

"Unversed. Evil made real." Jason said "Evil emotions of one man spilling out into physical manifestations."

Who was this one man? Why did they never give straight answers? But they continued on at a faster pace, drawing on Darkness and Light both to help them run up the valley. Within minutes, they reached five Remnants with their Keyblades buried in the ground. Four of them were set in a square, and one was set in the middle. Two shone with brilliant Light, and two roiled with malevolent Darkness. What were their names? **[end Fragments of Sorrow]**

"No harm in telling you, I suppose." Marek said "The X-Blade needs outlets for the Darkness and Light if it were to arrive in Rayne. She could take it in, of course, but that would make her the X-Blade. This way it would be scattered into two vessels of Light and two of Darkness. The two suits of armour to the left are Jack and Mist Rikkison. Outlets for Light." He paused, then continued "The two outlets for Darkness are the darkest wielders in history. Xehanort and Vanitas."

"You would put the Remnants of such Keyblade Wielders so close to the X-Blade, the very thing they had sought for so long?" Raphael said in disbelief "Was this wise?"

"We had no other choice" Jason said "Only Marek would remain unharmed by the Darkness. Anyone else, even Riku could be destroyed."

"So why did Jack call out?" Raphael asked "You didn't think that something might easily go wrong putting Xehanort and Vanitas right next to Rayne?"

"As I said" Jason said "We had no choice." He went to Mist's armour while Marek went to Jack's. They were already awoken by Kingdom Hearts and spoke fluently.

"It's Xehanort." Jack said "He's not drawing in the Darkness, it's going to build up inside Rayne. We need Marek."

Marek stepped forward and said "I'm here, Jack. What do you need?"

"I need you to act as the outlet. You need to absorb the Darkness."

Xehanort laughed with scorn, his armour dwarfing the rest in terms of size. "Do you think the X-Blade is the only thing to return? Darkness itself comes, and with it comes Light and Corruption. Do you really think you matter in this affair of gods?" He looked up "See, even now Kingdom Hearts is drawn here. The X-Blade, Light, Darkness and Corruption shall descend from the heavens!"

Raphael looked up, and Xehanort was right. Kingdom Hearts was far larger than it had been, meaning it was coming closer and closer. It shone with something that was both bright and dim, then something shot down to the valley where they were. **[Treachery, Bleach]**

"Did you never wonder" Xehanort continued "Why your armour was brought back? Did you never wonder why you chose to cling to life like the pathetic Heartless you killed?" He turned to Raphael and his voice grew "Did you never wonder why Riku did not reveal all he knew to you at once? You too were manipulated by Light, for you would not think of leaving this place until you found all the answers and freed Light."

He waved his hands towards the plains "Did you not think your victory over the Grandmasters as too easy!? They too would have hindered all three divine beings, and were weakened thusly. Once again, you were used as pathetic little tools!" He stepped forward and said "You have all grown decrepit and been manipulated by forces you cannot comprehend. But hush! Even now... The X-Blade comes!"

There was a huge explosion and Raphael was flung back, tumbling several metres away. When he looked, he saw Rayne standing, with her Keyblade, Equillibrium in her hand. She dropped it as she clutched her head, and Raphael could see both Light and Dark issuing from her. Jack and Mist tried to absorbed the Light, but Xehanort and Vanitas suddenly sprang up and attacked the other two. They weren't harmed, but they were pushed away from Rayne and everyone could see the pressure in her armour building up. Xehanort extended his armoured arms into the air and yelled "Darkness, I welcome you as my vessel! Come to us!"

There was another rumble and another explosion that blew Raphael, Marek and Jason back even further. As they struggled to their feet, they could see Darkness issuing out of both Vanitas and Xehanort. Next to them, Rayne buckled and fell to the ground, her armour trembling under the pressure of Darkness and Light.

Raphael stood up, not knowing what he was doing, and yelled "Dark Aura!" He suddenly appeared behind Rayne and took in the excess Darkness. It was far more chaotic than the kind he normally took in, and he screamed as he felt himself being invaded. He realized that Riku was yelling as well. Whether it was an incoherent scream or Riku trying to tell him something, Raphael didn't know. All he knew was the Darkness of the X-Blade coursing through his veins.

* * *

STATION OF AWAKENING...

He was immediately pulled inside his Heart and came face to face with the Darkness. It wasn't like the Heartless he had injected inside himself. That had a corporeal form. This was just a roiling mass of Darkness that shifted and moved like the boundless ocean. He looked and saw that Riku was next to him. That was reassuring, although it was obvious that Riku was apprehensive as well.

Without warning the mass of Darkness charged and Riku and Raphael went to meet it. Raphael slashed at it quickly, but the Darkness simply swirled around him. Riku covered his back and made sure Raphael didn't get cut down from behind, and soon they were surrounded in a dome of Darkness that moved around them like some evil beast.

Raphael could hardly see anything; only the illumination provided by the aura of his and Riku's Keyblades guided his hand, and he was reduced to slashing out at whatever came near him. He turned often, making sure that the Darkness didn't attack him from behind and making sure Riku was still there.

"This isn't working" Riku yelled behind him. He was breathing heavily, and Raphael could tell neither of them could last much longer. "You have to try and tune yourself into my flow" He continued. "We have to work together."

That was much easier said than done, especially while fighting for your life in what was almost pitch blackness. Still, he tried and remembered what Riku's presence had felt like when they had fought, and when Roxas had summoned Oblivion. At the same time, Riku was trying to match Raphael's flow, and soon they met. As they did, "they" didn't exist. "They" were one being, and acted as one.

"Last Saber!" Riku yelled, and the two of them dashed around, clearing away the Darkness wherever they went.

"Is that all you got?" Raphael yelled in irrational euphoria. The two of them fired off salvos of Dark Firagas in multiple directions, making the Darkness retreat and light shone through the broken dome of Darkness.

The Darkness surged back towards them, but Riku wasn't scared "I'll take 'em" and the two of them summoned 13 blue and yellow blades that spun around them at an even faster rate than Roxas' did.

"All's end!" Both of them yelled, and they sent their Keyblades flying into the air, where they both became huge vortexes that drew the Darkness in and made it dissipate into the air. They both landed back to back, then turned to face each other.

"What in the name of Light was that?" Raphael asked, "What did we just do."

"It's a move I used to pull off with Sora." Riku said "But it only works when you're both in tune with each other. I'm amazed it worked so well."

Raphael was about to say something but Riku interrupted him "Go back up, they'll need you. The Darkness of the X-Blade will be back, so we'll have to always be on guard. Now go. I can handle the rest." He turned and charged at the weakened Darkness. Thanking Riku again, Raphael looked back once more, then soared back up.

* * *

KEYBLADE GRAVEYARD...

Raphael fell down on all fours, gasping at the pain in his chest he hadn't felt since he and Riku had killed the Heartless inside him. He felt Xehanort approach him from behind, and blindly shot a wave of Darkness in the general direction. Still, he felt Xehanort's hand on his shoulder as he was pulled up. He staggered back, wondering what Xehanort was doing, but before he could think he grabbed Rayne's armour and started to walk away.

There was a burst of power from Jack and Mist, and they said in unison "Don't you dare touch my daughter!"

Vanitas stepped in between them and laughed "Do you think you can stand up to us now that we have Darkness at our command?" To prove his point, he shot off several fireballs that whizzed towards Jack and Mist. Mist tried to counter it with her own, but it had no effect, and they had to leap back as the ground beneath their feet exploded in flames.

"GIVE HER BACK!" Jack roared "Or I swear upon every single Keyblade in existence that I will kill you!"

Xehanort didn't respond, but turned and fired off a Dark Volley towards Marek and Jason, both of whom had been trying to sneak around him. He walked towards the two of them with his Keyblade in one hand and Rayne in the other.

"DON'T YOU DARE HARM MY FAMILY!" Jack roared "OR I. WILL. KILL. YOU!" Light exploded from his body, but it was nothing compared to the third explosion that erupted from Kingdom Hearts. They had been afraid of Rayne attracting the X-Blade. Why had none of them theorized that the same would happen to Jack, and would have happened to Marek if Xehanort hadn't intervened.

When Raphael got up groggily, Riku right next to him, he saw Jack overflowing with Light itself. Light and Darkness incarnate had descended from the sky, along with the X-Blade. That only left Corruption, but who would be used as a vessel for Corruption? Raphael then gasped, realizing that Kingdom Hearts had prevented a portal from being created, and realized why it had stranded the Grandmasters in this barren, goddamned land. **[end Treachery]**

* * *

Terra looked anxiously in the direction where the explosions were coming from. He could feel Darkness and Light descend along with the X-Blade, and hoped everything would turn out fine. He had to have faith in Jack and Mist. He had to believe they could free Rayne. Then he felt something gathering, and a fourth explosion in front of them made him run to the front of his plateau and peer outwards.

When the smoke had died down he saw the armour of the ten Grandmasters stand, with the grey, decaying aura of Corruption exuding from the cracks. In a flash, the cracks were healed and the armour looked as new as the day it had been forged. Terra had thought he had forgotten how to feel most emotions, but when he felt fear, he knew that his Heart was truly restored.

* * *

Back in the valley, Rayne worked her way free of Xehanort, using the power of the X-Blade and ran to her father. "Dad. Get a grip on yourself. You can't give in to Light. Don't let it win."

The light emitted from within Jack's armour flickered and wavered. "Rayne... Get away... I can't control it."

Rayne smiled "You did it once before, you can do it again. Remember dad, you're whole family's waiting for you here. Please."

Mist grabbed on to his pauldron and said "Never forget, we'll always be waiting for you."

The light died out and Jack staggered and would have fallen if Rayne hadn't caught him.

_"Do you think you have defeated me?"_ Light still lingered in an incorporeal form and drifted like a translucent spirit. _"Did you not think to consider why I would have you gather so many empty suits of armour?"_

Raphael gasped and looked at Riku. Had everything they had done simply been a part of some grand scheme Light had devised?

_"So many empty vessels. They shall certainly suit my purposes. There is even the Remnant of another Rikkison, is there not? How fitting that he shall be part of my new vessels."_

"NO!" Jack yelled, "DON'T TOUCH PIERCE!" but there was no stopping Light, and it left towards the plateaus, splitting into hundreds of small streams to seek out the Remnants that lay in the Keyblade Graveyard.

**[False King, Two Steps from Hell]**Terra had made the decision to follow Marek and the others to stay together. It might be dangerous in Rayne's Valley, but the six of them didn't stand a chance against the ten Grandmasters, especially since they had been infused with the power of Corruption. Even though his Heart had been separated from Ven and Aqua, they could still read his emotions and they turned to head back at the same time he did. They had summited the mountains behind them when suddenly Light poured out of the valley where Terra was heading.

It had split into hundreds of streams, and as Terra whirled around they each found their way into the hilt of a Keyblade. The whole plain beneath him shone with a brilliant and terrifying light as three hundred and seventy two suits of armour were summoned at once. Even when the armour had formed, each and every one of them glowed with ominous Light. It was brilliant; the Light was holy and undeniably divine. It glowed with unbelievable power, and could quench all Darkness and Corruption from the lands.

And it was terrifying.

As Terra stood there, three suits of armour leapt to the top of the plateau where Eraqus resided and looked up. Even though none of them had possessed armour in their life, armour had still formed around their Keyblades, and now Pierce, Ava and Griffin stood at the forefront of an army of Light. What had he done? Drawing the suits of armour to this place, uniting them all under one mind... It had made it so easy for Light to take over. And now...

_"You are small in number, but you must still be eliminated."_ Terra couldn't tell which one spoke, or if they all spoke. Light had warped their voices and their consciousness into one and Terra knew that they were all truly under Light's power. After all, none of their Hearts were there in the first place, and there was nothing to defy Light as it entered their armour.

_"With this power, we shall wage war on all that is unholy!"_ Light's voice rose as it continued speaking _"Darkness and Corruption shall stand no chance against me. I thank you, Keyblade Masters, for being manipulated so easily."_

"Griffin!" Lea yelled. He had ran to the outcropping and was looking at his son. "Griffin! Stop this!"

Griffin's Remnant looked up and said _"You are a fool, Lea. Your son was never here. His only purpose was to be my vessel. To eliminate you."_

Lea roared in anger and jumped towards the three of them. Terra cursed, but had no choice but to go to Lea's side. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Aqua, Ven, Eraqus, Sora and Kairi follow him. Lea got there first and was followed quickly by Ven. Lea swung his Keyblade wildly at Griffin's Remnant, who parried it easily and blasted back Lea with pure Light. Ven was attacking Ava, yelling at her to remember, to bring herself back.

All the while, Pierce's Remnant was laughing maniacally _"See how pathetic your comrades are. See how hopeless your situation is. How can you hope to defeat me?"_

They couldn't. Terra hated himself for running, like he had ran from his Master on the words of Xehanort all those years ago. But they couldn't defeat Light. Not here, surrounded by an army of Keyblade Masters. He looked at his Master, and the two of them read each other's thoughts.

They couldn't outrun them to where Jack was, nor did Terra particularly want to. If Darkness and the X-Blade were still there, Jack and the others no doubt had enough on their plate. Fighting three hundred vessels of Light was also obviously out of the question. That left only one other option. He looked and saw that Aqua had the same idea. Sora and Kairi understood what to do. Their minds were still partly connected.

Kingdom Hearts had blocked off all portals leaving this world, but now Kingdom Hearts had split into Light, Darkness and Corruption, and Terra was betting on the fact that the barrier was no longer in place. He was right, and was able to make a portal of Darkness above him. He quickly got on his rider and scooped Ven from his battle with Ava's Remnant. He looked over and saw that Eraqus had done the same to Lea while Aqua held the two of them off.

Sora, Kairi and Eraqus zoomed past him, with a storm of suits of armour on their tail. Terra followed suit and closed the portal as he entered it. He quickly looked around, making sure that the seven of them were unharmed and unaccompanied by any other vessels of Light, then continued flying through the Lanes Between. **[end False King]**

* * *

Back in the valley, Xehanort and Vanitas stood facing Jack, Mist, Rayne, Marek, Jason, and Raphael. All of them in their armour save Raphael, who had none. Xehanort stepped forward, Darkness leaking out of his armour, and said "Surrender yourselves to the Darkness, and we shall let you live."

None of the suits of armour responded, but Raphael was under the impression that Rayne sorely wanted a real mouth just to spit on the ground. "How long have you been selling that line, it's not going to work." She turned to Marek "Hey, uncle. How quickly can you get us to where Terra and the rest are?"

Marek didn't say anything, but made a portal and stepped right through it. Xehanort and Vanitas made to follow, but Rayne blew them all back with the power of the X-Blade inside her. Raphael was about to follow Marek when he came right back and closed it. "Light's made every suit of armour down there its host. I couldn't find Terra or anyone else there, but we can't stay here any longer."

Marek made another portal and beckoned the others to come "Let's go. We need to find the others and work out what to do."

"Wait" Jack called "Did you see Pierce?"

Marek didn't respond and stood there for a moment, then nodded. "It was exactly as Light said." Then he stepped through the portal, to hide his own bitter grief.

Riku laid a hand on Jack's shoulder. The sound of metal on metal was resounded oddly as he said "Come on, there's nothing we can do for Pierce anymore." And with that, he practically dragged Jack and Mist through the portal.

Rayne had been keeping both Xehanort and Vanitas at bay, and now jumped back into the portal. Raphael took one last look at the two suits of armour, then followed Rayne as the portal closed around him.

* * *

THE LANES BETWEEN...

"We have to go back." It was Jack, speaking to the rest of them as they drifted in the Lanes Between. Mist was behind him and agreed.

Marek shook his head "Even if we did flush Light from the suit of armour, we would get an empty suit of armour. There's nothing left of Pierce, nor is there anything left of Ava or Griffin."

Jack was silent and floated there, his head bowed. That was the unnerving thing about armour, it took away all facial expressions and there were many times where the armour just stood still.

"So what do we do now?" Raphael asked. "Obviously we should find the rest of you, but what then?"

Everyone looked at him, then Marek spoke "We need to somehow find out if we're still being controlled by Light. I think it unlikely, especially as our minds and Hearts were vulnerable as our armour was formed, but we should still make sure Light has no hold on us."

"What's going to happen with Darkness and Corruption?" Rayne asked "What do they want?"

They waited for Jack to answer, but when Jack didn't Jason said"Light wants to eliminate all that's dark and unholy, but will Darkness accept the challenge? We still know too little about Corruption to even guess what it might do."

"I didn't see Corruption." Marek said "When I went through, I saw Light, but not Corruption. The Grandmasters had left by the time I got there, and who knows where they've gone."

"One thing at a time." Jason said, and his voice carried authority even after a thousand years. "First, we need to find Terra and the rest. Then, we need to get somewhere where we can find information. See how the Realms of Light are doing." He turned to Raphael "Can you help us find a way into a library or an archive where we can catch up on things?"

Raphael slowly nodded "There are plenty of places with information, but none where you guys would look normal. How are we going to pass unnoticed?"

"One thing at a time" Jason repeated "Just so long there are places that have the information we need, we can find a way."

Raphael nodded. "There are plenty of places."

"Alright, then" Jason said "We need a base camp, somewhere we can rest up."

"We should go to the Dark Meridian" Marek cut in "The other worlds may have changed drastically in the last millenium, and we need somewhere isolated and hidden."

Jason nodded. "Alright. The Dark Meridian it is."

With a gesture, Marek opened a Corridor to Darkness and they all stepped through. Raphael took one last look at the Lanes Between, as if he could see the Keyblade Graveyard. He had unleashed forces he had never imagined when he arrived at the Keyblade Graveyard. What would he do next? Where would he go? And where would the Rikkisons take him? More questions that needed to be answered. He followed the rest into the Darkness.

END OF PART I

* * *

**Disclaimer: I own Raphael, and the Grandmasters. TerraKH owns Jason, Marek, Rayne, Mist, Jack and Pierce. TheEighthLight owns Griffin. Angelic Winds owns Ava.**

**So, that's the end. I hope you all found the real antagonists surprising, and I hope you all want more. Unfortunately, if you do, you'll have to wait around 10 days. This is because I'm in the middle of this family thing without much time to write, and I need a bit of time to get part II sorted. **

**Thanks to all the support I've gotten, particularly from Herald, TerraKH, and Sora's Apprentice. All of your reviews have been useful and encouraging, and very long. **


	11. Part 2, Chapter 1

**So**, **I'm back. Sorry for the wait, and I hope you all enjoy. With part II, I'm only going to be using italics for Riku and the Three Divine Beings. The other Remnant's have a lot more dialogue than in part I, and I don't want to use italics too much.**

* * *

_"The two of us must unite."_

Raphael jerked his head up, wondering who was talking. Was it Riku?

_"What are you talking about?" _Riku asked, _"I'm listening to Jack and the others."_

The moon hung on the dark horizon and cast silhouettes of the five suits of armour standing on the beach. Raphael was pretty sure if it was always in that position. It hadn't moved since they arrived here in the Dark Meridian yesterday. Raphael wondered if the rest was mainly for his benefit, as he didn't know if the others needed rest, since their bodies had become their Keyblade Armour. He had slept, and now they were ready to move. He had also refilled his reserves of Darkness, seeing as the other worlds wouldn't have nearly as much Darkness as this place.

"Jack, look at me." It was Jason, moving to stand in front of Jack, who had been staring out into the sea, not listening to the conversation."

Jack turned, not saying anything. He hadn't talked much since they had fled from the Keyblade Graveyard. That being said, none of them talked much, anyways. Raphael supposed it came with being a thousand years old, but Jack had talked even less than the others.

"Stop blaming yourself" Jason said bluntly, "We need you, and you can't help if you're lost in thought."

What was Jason talking about? Raphael's question was soon answered when Jack replied heatedly "Pierce is my son! I can't just forget about him."

Jason didn't flinch at his words. "I'm not asking you to forget Pierce. I'm asking you to stop thinking of Pierce as alive."

"What are you talking about?" Mist asked. She had been sitting on a rock by the beach, but now stood next to Jack.

"I'm saying that Jack needs to stop thinking he can save Pierce." Jason replied. "Pierce's Heart was gone from his Keyblade Armour centuries before it was possessed by Light. Expelling Light from the Armour would leave us with an empty husk. Nothing more."

"We came back when Kingdom Hearts blasted us with its return" Jack said, "and Pierce has Light itself living inside him. Why can't his Heart come back?"

Jason could have said something rational, but sensed that a rational and logical answer wasn't what Jack wanted to hear. Instead replied, "Because it isn't his duty to stop Light."

Jack still didn't say anything, but everyone could tell that inside he was fuming. He turned to Mist and it was plain he wanted her to say something, anything.

"You can't let Light manipulate you like this, not after everything he did." she said gently, "It chose Pierce because it wanted to hurt you, hurt all of us."

"Damn Light." Jack spat, "Damn everyone one of those gods who think we're just pieces in their grand games."

"You can't protect Pierce, he's been gone for a long time." Mist said, "but you can protect us. The family you have left. We need you, Jack." She paused, then added "I need you."

Jack nodded. "Thanks, Mist." He obviously wanted to say more, but words weren't needed. They stared at each other for a bit, then they broke eye contact. Raphael relaxed a little, but was surprised at the amount of emotion Jack could still feel, even after a thousand years. _"That's because when our Hearts were restored, we were restored in the form we existed in when our Hearts were the strongest." _Riku said_ "How we view ourselves in the Station of Awakening. That means even though we have bodies and memories of a thousand years, we have Hearts of when we were young."_

So how old was everyone inside? How old was Riku? _"It's hard to put down a definite number," _Riku replied, _"but I'd say Jack, Mist and Marek are around twenty, when they were fighting each other. So am I, probably. Jason's probably in his fifties. His Heart was actually strengthened with the joy of just being around Jack, Mist, and their kids. He actually acted like a doting grandfather when he wasn't on duty."_

It was still hard not to think of his companions as thousand year old beings, although Riku's sarcasm did make it a little easier. Ignoring Riku's wounded reply, he started listening again to the conversation.

"So now we look for Terra and the rest?" Rayne was asking. She had been quiet the whole time, but then again, most people would find a romantic scene between their parents awkward.

Jack nodded, but Mist said "Light said it had been controlling us from the start. What if looking for Terra and the rest is just another part of his plan?"

"We can't keep on second guessing ourselves" Jack said, "or we'll never get anything done."

"What would our next move be if we didn't seek out the others?" Rayne asked, "I think that Mist has a point. If we chase after Terra, we'd be distracted from our real goal."

"Our strength lies in our bonds between each other and our unity." Jason said, "We need to stay together."

"Why not a compromise?" Marek asked, "We send some people to look for information and the whatever else, and we send others to look for the others."

Jack thought about it and nodded. "So we split up. Three look for the others and three find information about the Realm of Light and about Light, Darkness and Corruption."

Marek shook his head. "Jason was right," and Raphael found it strange that Marek addressed his father by name instead of a more casual title. "Our strength lies in our unity. We need to stay together as much as possible."

"So what do you suggest?" Jack asked, although he had a feeling he knew the answer.

As he expected, Marek said "We don't need all 6 of us to go looking for them. I can still move around better than all of you."

"You'd get picked out in an instant," Raphael cut in. "Your armour's unusual. It gives off this aura. If you go anywhere you'd be reported." He wondered if should be speaking. The Rikkisons seemed to take it in their stride.

"Good thing I don't plan to be noticed." Marek responded. He looked at Jack, who said "You still shouldn't go alone."

Marek shook his head and replied "I could do without you guys clomping around all over the place. Don't worry, I'll find them in no time."

Jack shook his head again, but it was in amused resignation. "I see through your plan. You want to find the rest, then wait and come in a nick of time with reinforcements when we're backed against the corner and grab all the credit."

As armour, they couldn't laugh, but Raphael could sense the amusement coming out of all of Marek's family. Jack nodded, and Marek opened a portal of Darkness and made to disappear through it, but Jack called out "Good luck, brother."

Marek nodded and replied "I wish the same for you. He turned back and added "You'll need it."

And with that, he disappeared through the portal of Darkness, leaving the rest of them in far better spirits than when they had come.

"Raphael" Jack asked "Where's the biggest collection of information?"

"Radiant Garden" Raphael answered, as he ignored the voice in his head urging him to 'unite the two of us', "But you can't go walking around there. If you won't get picked out, I will. I'm a renegade, remember?"

"Well, we don't know anything from this end," Jack said, "and we need to find out what Corruption's doing with the Grandmasters. If we go to Radiant Garden, we'll sort out both problems at once. Besides, all we have to do is sneak in when everyone else is asleep."

Once again, Raphael shook his head "There isn't a time when Radiant Garden sleeps. There are always people coming in from missions in different time zones, or staying up late to get a chance to use some machinery. There won't ever be a time when Radiant Garden's asleep."

Jack paused, and Mist spoke up "I would have thought that you'd want to go back to your homeland."

Raphael looked up sharply "Where did that come from?" They should have been working on what to do next. Come to think of it, he didn't even know what Jack and the rest wanted to do. Did he want to kill Light, Darkness and Corruption, or was it just Light? Did this mean he would help the other Divine Beings?

Shrugging might have seemed natural for humans, but it made the Keyblade Armour plating clank and grind together, and Mist's armour was no exception. "It's just that you don't seem eager to return."

Raphael frowned in irritation "Why would I want to return now? The only way I could look forward to returning is when people are ready to accept the truth, and when people know that I was telling the truth."

_"Do you want to bring knowledge"_ Riku asked_ "or do you want people to recognize you were right?"_

Raphael wanted people to see the truth and not walk under the impression that Kingdom Hearts was something vile when it was in fact neither good nor evil.

Meanwhile, Mist had paused, and abandoned the topic, merely saying "It's just better to know what you're fighting for and why."

"We should go to Radiant Garden" Rayne said "After all, we'll stick out anywhere we go."

Well, they wouldn't stick out in somewhere like Traverse City, where people from every world in the Realm of Light congregated, but that was a major port city and not somewhere the Rikkisons could catch up on current affairs.

_"Did they change the name?" _Riku asked "_Well, I guess after seeing it grow to that size" _he continued, looking through Raphael's memories _"it would seem appropriate."_

Sometimes Riku could be very distracting. Images of the huge city flashing with bright skyscrapers whizzed through his head, and Raphael missed what Jack had said, but gathered that they were going to use their Riders to head to Radiant Garden.

"I'll make a portal of Darkness" Raphael said "They have people monitoring the atmosphere and we'll be detained if we go in with Riders. We'll have to start off in the energy reactors, it's the only place where the Darkness won't be detected."

And with that, he made a portal of Darkness back to his home, much earlier than he had thought he would.

Jason was the last one to go through, and Raphael had to ask "What's your goal? Your old one turned out to be manipulation by Light, so what are you going to do now?"

Jason thought for a bit, although that wasn't much of a change from how he normally was. He rarely spoke, choosing to let Jack be more vocal. "My goal is to support Jack in what he does, and provide guidance when he needs it."

Jason walked through the portal, making it clear to Raphael that the topic was closed. Raphael stood there for a minute thinking, then went through the portal himself, closing it as he emerged in Radiant Garden. As the portal closed, he heard that voice again, saying, _"The two of us must unite."_

* * *

**Yeah, I'm aware this chapter isn't as long as the others. Mainly because I couldn't write that much about what happened here without making it seem overwrought. The next chapter should be more substantial. **

**The next couple of chapters with the Rikkisons will be more focused on the events, not character development, but that will come later. 'Till next time!**


	12. Part 2, Chapter 2

**[Hollow Bastion, Kingdom Hearts I] **Raphael couldn't believe it was working. They had materialized next to the power generators, then ran up several huge flights of staircases. It was tiring, but unpopulated. When Raphael had started to get short of breath, Jack had offered to carry him. At first Raphael had refused, but after going up some more, he folded and rode on top of Jack's shoulders. It was as comfortable as sitting on a bumping metal suit of armour normally, but it was quicker.

As Raphael was getting jolted around, Riku said, _"You should probably get some clothes or you'll be the one stared at." _

Raphael looked down at himself and realized Riku was right. The cloak he had been given to guard against the Darkness had been torn to tatters above his waist. He had worn clothes underneath, but they were far less durable than the cloak, and what hadn't been ripped or torn by the strenuous fights between the Remnants were stained brown and grey with dust. The cloak around the bottom had frayed and there were even more rips around his shins. It actually looked like a pair of cargo shorts without pockets.

_"You sure it doesn't look like a skirt?" _Riku smirked. Raphael ignored him and got Jack to stop two floors up. The storerooms were here, stocked with everything possible, from food, to weapons, to spare parts for machinery, to clothing. Raphael quickly grabbed whatever he could find. He took care not to grab white and grey collared T-shirt and cargo pants that were the standard uniform for apprentices. He was far too old to pass for an apprentice, and he didn't think they had anything that fit him. _"Boy, these uniforms are boring" _Riku said, _"They sure have tightened up the dress code here."_

Ignoring him, Raphael settled for a brown long sleeve that was patterned with white lines that swirled vertically from top to bottom. It also had a hood over the top, which made it even more appealing to him. He stripped off the ragged remains of the trousers he'd worn when he'd gotten exiled for thick black trousers. Raphael wasn't sure if they were made of the same material as the cloak, but he found it comforting. As a last touch, he gathered what remained of his old cloak and tied strips of it around his forearms. He considered using a strip as a headband to keep his long, brown hair out of his eyes, but he decided against it. He went out and got back on Jack, wincing slightly from his aches as he did so.

When they arrived at the library, Raphael guided the Rikkisons to a dark corner in the physics section of the library. He considered it to be the most boring section in the library, and therefore the section least frequented by people.

_"Logical." _Riku smirked. Raphael then ran back to get them the books they needed. Riku had wondered why they couldn't just read the books where they were, but had conceded the point that six Keyblade Masters reading a history textbook meant for adolescents would raise even more suspicion than usual.

Raphael paced to and fro, nervous at being right in the middle of the very people who had cast him out.

_"You nervous?" _Mist asked. She was looking up from a book on how Gaia's ecosystem had stabilized after the legendary Sephiroth had been purged from the Lifestream. Why did she always think something was wrong with him? It was getting on his nerves.

_"I just think she's pretty perceptive" _Riku said. That was a matter of opinion. Raphael gestured for Mist to keep on reading, and fetched a random book on the shelf right next to him and tried to lose himself in it.

It was another physics book, and as had always happened when he read any science textbook, his mind wandered. He had always loved history. It was strange how before he had always been fascinated by the stories the subject had to offer, but now it seemed hollow. How was he to know what was true and what wasn't. Was what the Remnants said true, or was it just their perceptions of things? Was truth nothing more than what the people in power at the time wanted the people to believe?

What did he want to do next? When he had been in the Keyblade Graveyard, all his questions had been about the riddles the voices that had been Keyblade Masters had set. Those had all been solved, yet his path was no clearer than it had been when he had left.

_"I thought you wanted to bring clarity and truth to the Realm of Light_" Riku said. Of course he did, but he didn't know how to do it. Now that the Grandmasters actively refused to confess to their lies, the only way the truth would be let out was if they were dead, and killing wasn't an option Raphael would take lightly.

_"Why not?" _Riku asked _"Extreme measures have to be taken sometimes. To build you have to knock down."_

Was this really Riku talking? Killing was just wrong, and should never be taken lightly.

_"I'm just making sure you've thought this out thoroughly"_ Riku replied _"And how many Heartless have you killed on your mission?"_

Heartless were different to humans. They weren't sentient, and if they grew out of check they might start destroying worlds again.

_"And what would happen if the Grandmasters grew out of check?"_ Riku returned _"How much worse would the Heartless be?"_

Why was Riku doing this? What purpose did this serve?

_"You wish to bring knowledge to the Realm of Light yet you insist on doing it peacefully." _Riku said _"I'm just making sure you aren't encumbering yourself just because of morals drilled into you by the people you're trying to go against._

So killing was fine if your goal was a righteous one? Righteous could mean anything to anyone. It was one of the most subjective things in the world.

_"I'm glad you've come to that realization" _Riku said _"Times were when you thought your cause was righteous, and that people would listen to you simply because of that."_

Had that really happened? Raphael supposed that he had thought that way in the Keyblade Graveyard. He had changed, and Raphael wasn't sure how else he would change before this whole thing was over. **[end Hollow Bastion]**

He was interrupted from his thoughts as they heard a voice say "Hey, Ven, here are the books you wanted."

Raphael quickly gestured for them to hide, then realized that they thought it was actually Ventus. "Guys!" He whispered furiously "It's just another Keyblade Wielder called Ventus. Not the original one!"

Immediately they ducked behind the bookshelves to avoid being seen, and Jack hissed "Why the hell would they call their kids by someone else's name?"

Raphael just shrugged "Do enough things and you'll have the honour of having people named after you. Even before the second Keyblade War there were Cids, Wedges and Biggs all over the place. Now there are plenty of Soras and Rikus and Kairis all over the Realm of Light. Leons and Merlins are also pretty common here. Go to Gaia and you'll find Clouds, Valencias, and Barretts all over the place. It's just one of those things." Terra was even more common a name, since people named their boys after the Keyblade Master, and their girls after the half-esper.

_"Oh, I'm glad she and Shin didn't get written out of history." _Riku said, _"They were good companions."_

On the contrary, there were ballads and sonnets devoted to the romance between the reincarnation of Shinryu and the half-esper. Raphael remembered the period when his friend was infatuated with this girl and constantly hummed one of them. Raphael had sorely wished to push his friend down the lifts.

_"Damn, they got ballads?" _Riku asked, _"Why didn't we get any of those?"_

Because there wasn't much romance in fighting Xehanort. The songs about the six heroes of Light, Sora, Riku, Kairi, Terra, Ventus, and Aqua were epics about how Light always triumphed over Darkness. There were even more of those. That being said, none of the Heroes of Light had an actual religion based around them.

Riku's voice resounded in Raphael's head, making him wince. _"What!? What was the religion about?"_

Compared to some of the other religions Raphael had seen, it wasn't the bad ones. The Heralds generally had a decent outlook on life.

_"The Heralds?" _Riku asked, _"Why would they call themselves that?"_

Their belief was that one day Shin and Terra would repopulate the heavens with their descendents who could use powerful magic, and descend from heavens to right the wrongs mankind had wrought upon the worlds. The duty of the Heralds were to warn people of their coming and right the wrongs themselves to relieve part of the burden from the shoulders of Terra and Shin's children.

_"I bet they didn't give a date for when this descent would come." _Riku said dryly. He was right, but at least the Heralds were honest about it. Part of their doctrine was that no proof was required because one knew in their Hearts that it would happen. Their full names were The Unknowing Heralds, signifying how they did not know and did not need to know when the descent would come. While some thought that flaunting their ignorance of their doctrine was contrived and petty, Raphael thought it was a good way to face life.

He found their accents a little annoying; they pronounced their r's as w's, and prolonged all vowel sounds. As a result, Terra had been distorted to Tewah. Apart from that, though, they were as agreeable as any other person.

_"Except for when they meet conflicting religions."_ Riku said sardonically. Raphael supposed it was true. The Heralds were generally peaceful, and only clashed with the main religion that had spread throughout Gran Pulse. They worshipped Lightning as Etro's champion, and said that it would be her that descended from the heavens astride Odin, not the children of Terra and Shin.

_"Ah, I remember Lightning." _Riku said. _"She was a good fighter."_

Were there any deities that Riku hadn't met?

_"Have you met any Heralds?" _Riku asked, shuffling through Raphael's memories as he did so. Raphael had. This Herald was a little hyper and talked more than the rest of the church, but he was fun to be with. They had met when Raphael had been sent on a mission to Figaro, near the city where their headquarters were based, and after eliminating some Heartless, had befriended this Herald. Well, he didn't think they would have been friends if circumstances hadn't thrown them together, but after being together for a while, the Herald's constant chatter grew on him.

_"Oh yeah." _Riku said, _"Looks like a decent guy." _He was. He was also extremely perceptive. Attempting to hide things from him was definitely not a good idea.

Riku shuffled deeper through Raphael's memories, and laughed. _"Wow, how did they expand this much?" _He asked, getting a good look at the main church, _"Those statues must have cost a fortune."_

Oh, not too hard. A couple of Terra flags here, some Terra plushies there, add a couple of Terra shirts, you'd be amazed.

_"What?" _Riku said, as he shuffled through more memories. Then Raphael let out a short snort of laughter and he rolled his eyes, muttering _"Very funny."_

Raphael would have savoured his mirth a little longer had his snort of laughter not attracted unwanted attention.

He jumped back into a bookshelf as the Keyblade Wielder, whose friend was not the real Ven, said, "Hey, I think I heard something"

Raphael gestured them for all the Remnants to go behind the bookcases, and they all dispersed surprisingly stealthily for huge suits of armour. Raphael followed suit, and bent down to peer through the bookshelves. The person who was talking looked to be around fourteen. His voice wasn't the voice of a child, but he still had the build of one. His skin was pale, and his short, black hair looked gleamed irregularly in the dark lighting of the library. His blue eyes were dull and he looked resentful of something. He would have been handsome if a melancholy frown hadn't been permanently fixed to his forehead. He must have been an apprentice, judging by his age.

Unfortunately, he looked across and saw Raphael's hazel eyes peeking through the books. He strode to the other side of the bookcase and stood facing him. "Who are you?"

Raphael quickly stammered out a lie, hoping he wouldn't be recognized "I'm Riku. And you?"

"Max." He replied quietly. "Why were you spying on me?"

"I was just reading and when you came over I wondered who you were." Raphael looked for some way to change the topic. "You look nervous. Any particular reason?"

Max paused, wondering whether he should say anything, then looked at the ground and muttered "My Journeyman exams. They're next week."

Raphael was surprised. Passing from the stage of an apprentice to that of a journeyman meant that one was allowed to travel freely around the Realm of Light. It also meant that one would be tasked with individual missions instead of going them with a Master to supervise. It was a big milestone, and usually came when the apprentice reached the eighteen to twenty years of age.

"How old are you?" Raphael asked, the small Wielder didn't even come up to his chest.

Max rolled his eyes like he'd gotten this a lot. "I'm seventeen. Shortness is passed through the family. You should've seen my ancestors."

_"He definitely looks a lot better than you did when you took the exams" _Riku said _"Your face was so stiff it looked like you were holding something in."_

Raphael wished Riku hadn't chosen this time to start being talkative. It was with difficulty that he brought his attention back to Max, who shrugged, and said "Yeah, my friends keep telling me it's not that bad, but still." He trailed off.

Raphael saw an opportunity for information, and asked "I heard that the Grandmasters all left for something about a week ago. You haven't heard anything about that, have you?"

Max shook his head, then stopped and said "I think I heard my Master complaining about the Grandmasters overreacting about a week ago. He's a Highmaster" Max added "So he might have picked up on something that was happening with them."

Raphael nodded "I'm just asking because I had to do this recon follow up with one of the Grandmaster candidates. Something about ancient animated armour come to life. You haven't heard anything about that, have you?"

Max shook his head again "I'm just an apprentice. Why would I know anything?"

Raphael nodded "Not for long, you won't be. Thanks."

Max nodded as well, but didn't give Raphael the smile or eye contact he'd been hoping for. He then went off to find his friend.

"Nice kid," Jack said as she stepped out from behind another bookcase. "but did you have to risk him or his friend finding us?"

Raphael shook his head "He wouldn't have reported us unless someone asked him specifically. I would have just said we were doing some research for some top-secret mission and he would have believed us."

"Now we know none of the divine beings have made their moves yet," Jason said "What do we do now?"

Raphael looked at Jack, who asked "Where would the Grandmasters normally be?"

"Their living quarters are on the 40th floor, but only a few lifts can access it." Raphael replied. He wanted to ask why, but had a feeling he already knew.

"We're going to pay them a visit and ask them."Jack replied, confirming Raphael's suspicions. Was Jack always this reckless?

_"He's just doing what he thinks is right for his family and friends"_ Riku said _"Sometimes he doesn't do the smartest things, or the safest things, but he always does what he thinks is right."_

Raphael ran his hand through his hair, which he now noticed was much longer than he was used to "Fine, but only some of us should go. For one thing, that's right up in Master and Highmaster territory. I'd be noticed straight away, and there'd definitely be someone that would notice new armour walking around."

"Can't you bring a portal of Darkness up there?"Jack asked. For what seemed like the hundredth time, Raphael shook his head "They have wards against the Darkness around the upper layers. We'd only alert them to our presence."

"Then we'll just have to go up the normal way."Jack said "We'll need someone to show us the way."

_"You can use my armour to hide yourself" _Riku said _"We'll switch places. You just tell me where to go."_

That hadn't occurred to Raphael. Having a dead Keyblade Master inside his head did have a lot of perks.

Without warning, Riku took over, and Raphael found himself in the Station of Awakening. Looking into the external world, he saw Riku summon his Keyblade, Way to Dawn. He took a deep breath, and Raphael could feel Riku concentrate, pulling in the Darkness into his Keyblade. Raphael wasn't sure what happened, but suddenly his body was engulfed in Darkness for a moment. When the Darkness swirled away, Riku's armour stood there, as new as it had been a thousand years ago.

Wasn't his armour still somewhere in the Keyblade Graveyard? How did it suddenly get here?

_"Our armour's a manifestation of our Keyblade and our Hearts." _Riku replied _"I couldn't repair it before because my Heart was being attacked by shades. When I was in your Heart, I probably could have summoned it, but I just chose not to."_

"OK" Jack said "I'll go with Riku and Raphael." He turned to look at the rest of his family "If we get seperated, meet at the Dark Meridian again. Can the rest of you just stay here?" **[La Cloche, Kingdom Hearts DDD]**

They nodded, and kept on reading the books Raphael had set out for them. Meanwhile, Raphael led Riku and Jack out to the lifts again. He had heard that the lifts hadn't changed from when it had been ruled by Maleficent, another user of Darkness. The lifts were steel platforms that moved up and down a hollow cylinder made of stone.

_"That's partly true" _Riku replied _"The system's the same, but the cylinder got a lot bigger. In our days the cylinder was less than 10 metres in diameter. These..."_

Raphael had never been impressed by the lifts, having grown up in Radiant Garden. Riku emerged into what looked like a stone circular room 50 metres in diameter. He looked up and stared as he watched the lifts zoom about along the walls, which seemed to stretch on forever. There were openings dotted around the cylinder, and lifts would stop in front of them, depositing Keyblade Wielders on their desired floor. He went to one of the lines for a lift, but Raphael stopped him. "Only Apprentices and some Journeymen use the lifts. The Masters just run up the walls."

Riku didn't say anything but projected his longing to go on what must have looked like a thrilling ride. Maybe he actually was still a kid. Raphael gave Riku a strong push towards the walls. Reluctantly, Riku and Jack headed to the walls and started to run up. Raphael noted with interest that Riku was drawing on Light to run up instead of Darkness. Raphael knew that using Darkness might attract attention, but had thought that neither of them had another alternative. Riku truly was the Conqueror of both Light and Dark.

_"Can you not?" _Riku asked _"It's a little embarrassing showering me with these titles. I'm Riku, just call me that."_

Raphael nodded. He told Riku to start heading left. Riku did, quickly jumping over a lift that he would have collided into. Oops. Raphael supposed he should have warned Riku about that. Ignoring Riku's muttered curses, he directed him into the opening that led to the 30th floor.

_"I thought the Masters lived on the 40th." _Riku said. They did, but it was in a tower. The 30th was the highest they could get with that lift. Raphael directed them out onto a walkway, but didn't expect them to stop dead in wonder.

Raphael saw a glimpse of how Radiant Garden had once looked from Riku's memories, so he supposed he shouldn't blame him and Jack for being awestruck by the size of Radiant Garden. At first it had grown in area, reaching out far over the Cobalt Plateaus and even around the Moonstone Peaks. The peaks were named after the extraordinary quantities of Moonstone discovered that greatly contributed to the development of Radiant Garden. As the centuries progressed, and technology with it, Radiant Garden had started building up and burrowing down.

Now, there were 30 levels stacked on top of each other, all of them at least 20 square kilometres in area. The first ten levels were underground, and had huge food reserves, all the machinery that kept the city alive, and emergency bunkers in the rare possibility that Radiant Garden might come under attack. The floor where Raphael had gotten his new clothes were on the 9th floor. The 11th to 18th floors were residential areas for normal residents. They were the ones who cooked, mended, mined, and kept Radiant Garden thriving. The libraries were on the 19th and 20th floor, where there were countless bookshelves with tomes and treatises that dedicated themselves to research and spreading knowledge to all. These included the histories, sciences, and even analyzed fighting techniques and how they had been adapted from the very best.

In the distance Raphael could see various towers protrude from the silver surface of the 30th floor, like torches shining light against all things malicious. They were the towers that extended up to the 40th floor. Some had laboratories that handled volatile material, isolating them so any mishaps would not lead to the collapse of a pillar that held up a floor.

Most of the floors were like the inside of a building, which stretched on endlessly with metal corridors. The 30th floor was an exception. It had actual houses that sprawled out as far as the eye could see, and it was built with white bricks that shone in the daylight, and had runes carved on them that glimmered softly in the dark.

Time had diminished Raphael's memories of this glorious city, and the betrayal of the Grandmasters had filled Raphael with anger. Seeing Radiant Garden in all its glory, though... Raphael had to admit that the Grandmasters had done their jobs caring for the people here and training new Keyblade Wielders to protect the Realm of Light. **[end La Cloche]**

_"No one can be summed up in one word." _Riku said _"The Grandmasters are no different. They could be both the corrupt, power-hungry Keyblade Masters and the wise, caring leaders. They could have changed as they grew old. We don't know. It doesn't excuse what they've done, though. The more and more you understand your opponent, the harder it becomes to vanquish them."_

Raphael nodded, and directed Riku and Jack to a tower that was behind the entrance they had come out of. This was the tower where the Grandmasters dwelt.

Riku and Jack ran towards the tower, while Raphael wondered what Jack was going to say to the Grandmasters. Riku heard him and asked the question to Jack. He said, "I'm going to see if they are aware of Corruption's influence, and if so, try to talk with Corruption."

At least the plan wasn't to kill all the Grandmasters while they were infused with Corruption. They reached the tower, and went in. They came into a smaller version of the lifts they had exited minutes ago, and Raphael directed them up to the top level, then opened the door.

* * *

**Well, this was definitely a lot longer than I had planned. I think that happened because of all the stuff about Terra. I probably overdid it, but once I put one in, I just couldn't stop...**

**I probably still could have split this chapter in two, but I wanted to include a lengthy description of Radiant Garden. Tell me what you think.**

**Thanks!**


	13. Part 2, Chapter 3

**And here's the next chapter. I don't know why I keep on saying that. It's pretty obvious, but I feel like I have to say something before I get to the shout outs.**

**TerraKH: Hope I deliver with Jack's fight. As for the others, you should see shortly.**

**SorasApprenticeNumberOne: Glad you're impressed with Radiant Garden.**

**The Unknowing Herald: Haha, yeah. I probably had as much fun writing and rereading my work as you did. Glad I described Radiant Garden satisfactorily. **

* * *

Grandmaster Astelik whirled around as the two Keyblade Masters entered his room. "Who are you? How dare you enter here without permission?

"Are you aware of the cosmic being dwelling inside you?" Jack asked. His voice unnerved Grandmaster Astelik, who had not been subjected to it before. As a result, he turned even more defensive and brash "Get out, before I have you stripped of your rank. Get out!"

"We're well aware of Kingdom Hearts and how you use it for your own gain." Jack said, undeterred, "But what we want to know is if you're well aware that Corruption has invaded your body."

Astelik's face reddened "You-how..."

He summoned his Keyblade and so did Jack. Riku then stepped in and asked _"_Where are the other Grandmasters? 10 went to the Keyblade Graveyard and 7 were struck down, yet they still walk. Where are the other Grandmasters?"

Astelik's face bulged, but he was suddenly knocked unconscious by a suit of armour that had materialized behind him. Looking up, Raphael saw the armour of Grandmaster Aelothum, fully restored due to the power of corruption.

_"Why did you come seeking me." _He said, and Riku and Jack knew at once that this was Corruption speaking. **[Tristan, Two Steps From Hell]**

"What do you seek in this battle?" Jack said "What part will you play?"

Corruption started leaking out of Aelothum's armour casting a grey tinge on the former Grandmaster. _"I am Corruption. I grow as things fall. As things die I grow. The battle between Light and Darkness shall make whole worlds wither. I shall do my best to prolong the battle."_

Raphael could sense the disgust emanating from both Jack and Riku

"You want people to suffer, just so you can grow stronger." Jack said

_"I want people to suffer because it is my nature" _Corruption retorted _"So long as there is suffering and death in the world I shall exist. I am even more absolute than Light and Darkness, for both of them bring suffering. You cannot defeat me, you cannot defeat any of us."_

"And what happens when you're done?" Riku asked, "What happens when you kill everything and you're the only thing left in the world?"

_"You have seen the result already, Hero of Light." _Corruption said, _"You fought in the Realm of Nothingness before, did you not?"_

Riku growled internally, and he hissed "You would turn the Realm of Light and Darkness and Between into the Realm of Nothingness?"

_"I am Nothingness." _Corruption said, _"It is the ultimate form , the final state of being. All things return to either Light or Darkness, yet both decay to Nothingness."_

Jack shook his head derisively "Light tried to take over me, and I stopped it. I can stop it again, and I can stop you again." He summoned Wanderer's Judgement to his hand, the silver streaks shining against the black blade.

Corruption laughed and summoned Aelothum's Keyblade. It shone brightly with a curved blade, and everyone could feel the wind swirling around it. When Corruption swung it at them, a gale was created that forced Riku and Jack to the back of the room.

_"I'm handing over to you now" _Riku said _"It's difficult fighting in a body I'm not used to."_

The black armour faded as the switch was made, and Raphael emerged from it while summoning Heaven's Clarity.

_"You defeated Light in your own Heart" _Corruption yelled _"You defeated Light while it was constrained to your rules. I am not so foolish." _And Corruption rushed forward at them, and Jack and Raphael ran forward to meet it. Or rather, Raphael ran forward to meet it while Jack teleported behind Corruption and swung at him. Corruption whirled around parried Wanderer's Judgement, blowing Raphael back at the same time with a wave from his other gauntlet. Raphael landed with his feet on the wall and started running back towards Corruption.

Meanwhile, Jack had fired off a bolt of white fire, which Corruption contemptuously blew back, colouring the white fire grey as he did so. Raphael leapt up and brought his Keyblade down, but Corruption spun to the side and jumped clear of the shock wave, moving to press Jack again. He had rolled away to avoid being burnt by his own fire, and now threw more of it at Corruption. Corruption blew it back, just like the last time, but Jack knew Corruption would be arrogant to do the same thing twice and he had leapt over the white fire and swung Wanderer's Judgement at Corruption. At the same time, Raphael had muttered "Dark Aura" and appeared behind Corruption. Corruption seemed to be caught between the two blades, but he turned and blocked Wanderer's Judgement while Grandmaster Astelik deflected Raphael's blade.

He had arisen, but his eyes were blazing white with a grey outline, meaning it was Corruption possessing him. Astelik roared and a small meteor materialized, heading straight for Raphael. Raphael side-stepped, but found Astelik charging at him already. He hastily raised Heaven's Clarity and parried the quick strokes sent his way.

_"Corruption's separating you and Jack" _Riku warned _"It obviously knows we're strongest together."_

Raphael grunted, but couldn't do much else as Astelik continued to push him back towards the door. He gathered in Darkness and meant to warp to where Jack was fighting Aelothum, but there wasn't as much ambient Darkness in this world and Raphael had to jump back to avoid being speared by Astelik's Keyblade.

Lightdamn it all! He hadn't practiced attuning himself with Light, and was disadvantaged here. He was used to simply being able to draw Darkness from the air, like he did in the Keyblade Graveyard. Radiant Garden had Darkness in the world, but the culmination of Light in the area made it difficult to draw on it properly.

He fended off Astelik's first few blows, but was blown back when he fired a beam of Light that hit Raphael square in the chest. Raphael had instinctively strengthened the area around the impact zone, making sure it didn't blow a hole right his chest. Nevertheless, Raphael flew clean through the door, and clutched his chest in agony. He staggered up and backed down the corridor as Astelik followed him. Another beam of Light was fired, which Raphael avoided by falling backwards down the stairs.

He hadn't realized how carelessly he had used Darkness before, and his own personal reserve was depleting. He was used to it refilling instantly after he used Darkness, but he was obviously hurt more than he realized. He couldn't catch himself as he tumbled down the stairs, and only stopped descending once he reached the bottom. He jumped to avoid a third beam of Light, and ran towards Astelik again. With contempt, Astelik blew Raphael back with a shockwave of Corruption, and Raphael was unable to catch himself as he fell down ten floors down the lifts. **[End Tristan]**

BACK IN ASTELIK'S CHAMBERS...

**[The Stains of Time Instrumental, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance] **

Jack crashed into the wall. Again. Teleporting was difficult and there wasn't much else he could do against Aelothum, who could blow him back with the brute force of Corruption. Talk about cheap. Gritting his teeth, Jack got back up to his feet and flung out his hand. Wanderer's Judgement flew over to him in the form of his rider, and he jumped on top of it, firing off bolts of Thundaga. Unable to aim its blasts of wind, Corruption adopted a different tactic, throwing his Keyblade blindingly fast at Jack. Jack was able to dodge, but only barely. He could barely gather up enough Light to fuel magic strong enough to harm Aelothum. He was capable with magic, but his forte was close quarters combat, and with Aelothum keeping him several metres away, he was unable to put this strength to use.

He didn't let his frustration show, though, and yelled "Where's all that big talk from before? You can't even hit me, let alone defeat me."

_"While you, on the other hand," _Corruption replied calmly _"are reduced to flying around me like a mosquito."_

Jack responded by flying straight at Corruption after it threw Aelothum's Keyblade. Unfazed, Aelothum made the Keyblade return, meaning to strike Jack in the back at the same time. Jack anticipated this and had his rider transform back into its Keyblade form. He rolled on the ground and ended exactly where he wanted to be: right in front of Corruption.

Corruption backed away, but Jack got was too fast, slashing a hole in Aelothum's armour. He then teleported behind Aelothum and made a similar gap in Aelothum's back. Corruption blew Jack back, and all the possessions in Astelik's quarters in the process, but Jack teleported once again and was unfazed. Armour regenerated extraordinarily quickly under the influence of a Divine Being, but it still took time. Jack knew that if he broke the vessel, Corruption wouldn't be able to use it. Possession and restoration of a body was only possible in the wake of Kingdom Hearts.

"It's the end!" Jack yelled, dashing up to Corruption. Aelothum's Remnant was unable to move back due to the hole in his legs, and Jack knew a solid blow to his breastplate would cause the rest to crumble. Corruption would try and strengthen itself, and Jack knew instinctively that it couldn't strengthen and regenerate at the same time.

White fire enveloped his Keyblade, and he was about to swing when a concentrated beam of Light infused with Corruption came between them. Jack had to jump away or have his armour obliterated. It was Astelik, back from his fight with Raphael. _"The boy fell down the lifts. He shall not bother us further."_

Jack was shocked, but ran at Aelothum again. Astelik fired another beam at Jack, but he summoned his Keyblade Rider and zoomed towards Aelothum. Corruption was healing his leg, but it lowered his reaction time and wasn't able to dodge Jack, who slammed into him as fast as he could. His armour must have also been weaker, because it cracked as Jack slammed it into the wall. Wanderer's Judgement instantly turned back into its Keyblade form as Jack teleported towards Aelothum, but had to quickly block when a meteor came flying from Astelik's direction.

"I'm guessing teamwork isn't something that's emphasized much here." Jack said, as he looked down at Aelothum, whose armour was in dire straits after being caught in the explosion of Astelik's meteor. Astelik didn't respond, instead dashing towards Jack with his sword blazing white. Two on one was more complicated. It would mean that Jack would have to put both of them on the brink of destruction at the same time, or else one would help hold off Jack while the other recovered. He made as if to run towards Aelothum again, but backflipped at the last minute, landing behind Astelik as he swung. Astelik whirled around but he was blasted back by white fire. Jack instantly followed up with his Keyblade, striking at Astelik before suddenly ducking towards Aelothum, whose armour was almost repaired. Aelothum blew Jack back, but Jack just rode the blast and landed on Astelik, pushing him to the ground. He raised his Keyblade and was about to drive it into Astelik's breastplate when a hole was rent in his left pauldron. He staggered back and saw that three more Grandmasters had appeared in the doorway.

"You have got to be kidding." Jack said as he backed away slowly. Aelothum's armour had healed fully, and Astelik got up as well, the cracks in his armour quickly knitting together. Jack hated running, but knew when he was outmatched. He quickly changed Wanderer's Judgement into its Keyblade form, then jumped out the window. He wondered for a moment whether Astelik or any of the other Grandmasters would follow, but no one came out of the tower. It was completely ruined.

The roof of the tower had been blown off, and holes streamed down the top quarter of the tower. Jack almost crashed into a chimney that puffed out smoke, and quickly focused on getting back to Mist and the others. Already, he could see people rushing to the tower where the explosions were. He quickly dismissed his Rider close to the lifts where he and Riku had gotten off at, and made his way down to the library, wondering whether Raphael would be alright. **[end Stains of Time Instrumental]**

* * *

"Well, that was a sorry fight."

The voice was speaking words, but it was difficult to piece the words together. The increased amount of Darkness was comforting, though. It felt good. Suddenly he felt more of it surge through his system, and Raphael sat bolt upright, gasping and clutching his chest.

"I have to thank Corruption for separating you and the Rikkisons. Honestly, getting you alone was much harder than I thought."

Raphael sat up and looked around. He was floating in the Lanes Between, and in front of him was Vanitas. Raphael quickly summoned Heaven's Clarity, but Vanitas raised his arms in a sign of peace. "Woah, just hear me out."

Raphael wouldn't sit through another lecture of how the Dark side was so much better. He made a portal of Darkness and was about to step through when Vanitas said "You do owe me for saving your life, you know. Just hear me out, that's all I'm asking."

Raphael turned "First, is it Darkness speaking or Vanitas?"

Vanitas radiated the kind of amusement that passed off as his derisive burst of laughter "That's the thing, isn't it. If I say Darkness, then I'm being controlled. If I say I'm myself, it could be Darkness controlling me. I just don't know." He spread his arms out wide, "You'll just have to trust me."

Raphael glared at Vanitas, with one hand still in his portal of Darkness, then asked "How did you save me." He looked around and asked "How did I get here?"

"I've been watching you ever since you got to Radiant Garden. When you fell down the lifts I made a portal of Darkness at the bottom and in you fell."

"That shouldn't be possible" Raphael said skeptically "You can't use portals of Darkness anywhere near the towers.

"The whole barrier of Light were down." Vanitas replied "I guess they weakened Corruption, so it destroyed the barriers. Anyways, opening a portal there was just like opening it somewhere else."

Raphael thought, then closed the portal and turned to face Vanitas. _"I don't like where this is going" _Riku said _"Be careful."_

Vanitas started talking "First, do the Rikkisons have any idea what Darkness and Light want to do?"

Raphael shook his head, wondering what Vanitas wanted. _"_Well, Darkness wants to proliferate. It wants to grow. So, it needs as much negative emotions as possible. To have that, it's gone and possessed leaders of various worlds. I'm not sure which, but they'll be declaring war on each other any day now. Think of all the rage, loss, sorrow, hunger, fear, that could come from that. Scary?"

Raphael tried not to alter his face, but he was obviously bad at lying, since Vanitas saw through it and radiated amusement. "When you say it went and possessed leaders of the worlds" Raphael asked slowly "Do you mean that it's not possessing you any longer?"

"I've told you before, I DON'T KNOW!" Vanitas suddenly shouted and his rage was palpable. Unversed popped up next to him and flitted around before being absorbed back into his Armour. He gave the equivalent of another chuckle, then said "Sorry, I've been a little stressed lately. You know how it is."

"Actually I don't." Raphael said coldly, "If you're possessed by Darkness, then why are you telling us this?"

"I DON'T KNOW IF I'M POSSESSED!" Vanitas yelled, and more unversed popped up, "I don't know if whatever I do is because I want it, or if Darkness wants it. This is undermining Darkness, isn't it? Telling you about its plans?" He laughed again, but this laugh was tinged with desperation "Darkness can't want this, so these actions _are _my own. They _are _of my own volition."

_"Damn," _Riku said _"Vanitas is going insane."_

Raphael agreed, but wasn't going to pass up this chance at information. "So what did you want to tell us?"

"Ah, now we're back to the topic." Vanitas said happily, and it was like his outbursts had never happened. "Well, first of all, none of the divine beings can directly control people with Hearts. They could in their first surge of power, but after that, only empty husks can be easily possessed."

"So what did you mean when you said Darkness has gone and possessed world leaders?" Raphael asked. He had tensed up when Vanitas had been yelling, but still didn't relax. _"Good." _Riku said, _"A sane Vanitas was dangerous enough. An insane one?"_

"People's thoughts can still be influenced." Vanitas replied, "Just a tweak of their mind, and a Divine Being can inhabit that person. It helps if the person thinks the same way as the Divine Being, and as the vessel and the Divine Being's thoughts start becoming the same, more and more power can be channeled through."

"So the longer someone stays possessed, the more power can be channelled through?" Raphael asked. _"That would mean that we have to defeat the Grandmasters straight away, before they get even more powerful" _Riku said worryingly. _"You struggled enough against them as it is."_

Raphael really didn't need to be reminded of that. Vanitas nodded and said "Yup. Give the kid a prize."He then laughed again, and Raphael realized that Vanitas was truly insane. What had happened?

_"Ask him what Light's been doing." _Riku advised, _"It's extremely powerful, especially with an army of Keyblade Masters at its beck and call."_

Raphael asked the question, and Vanitas sighed. "It's waging war on our Realm of Darkness. A lot of Darkness' power is spent keeping the Lightsworn at bay." He looked at Raphael's questioning look and explained "Lightsworn is what Light's calling the possessed Keyblade Remnants."

Raphael nodded, then asked, "What does Light and Corruption want? Does Light want to eliminate all that's unholy?"

Vanitas laughed again, and it lasted longer than the others. Another unversed popped out by his foot, and scrambled into his gauntlet. "Unholy? Where'd you get that from?" He chuckled and said "Light wants order. It wants a constant world without change. It wants to control, and it can't control Darkness or Corruption."

So it wanted to kill whatever it couldn't control. "And Corruption?" Raphael asked, "What does it want?"

Vantias laughed again, and said "I can't be helping you that much, can I? If I do, you might actually be able to defeat us."

Raphael frowned, and asked "but if what you're already telling us isn't going to affect Darkness, then how do you know Darkness isn't possessing you to make you befriend us?"

"SHUT UP!" Vanitas yelled, suddenly furious. Unversed sprang out of the ground around him and charged towards Raphael. He summoned Heaven's Clarity and started swinging through the group of Unversed.

"I AM NOT DARKNESS!" Vanitas yelled, as Raphael deflected a fireball sent his way and slashed at another Unversed coming up behind him. He sent a blast of Dark Firaga towards a third Unversed who was just about to charge at him.

_"We must unite." _It was that Lightdamned voice again! Why now, of all times? Raphael leapt up and flew towards Vanitas. As he approached he yelled "Dark Maelstrom!" and spun mid-air. Vanitas threw a salvo of fireballs at Raphael, and they caught on Raphael's spinning blade, blasting both of them back.

Raphael landed behind the Unversed and quickly took the opportunity to annihilate them. They dissolved into black essence that streamed back into Vanitas' Armour. Raphael looked back at Vanitas, and saw that he was laughing. "Sorry about that, I guess I lost control there." He dismissed his Keyblade and said cheerfully "Now, where were we?"

Raphael didn't dismiss his Keyblade and remained on guard. It was unnerving how much raw emotion was hidden behind that cheerful facade. Vanitas thought, and said "Oh, right! I was going to show you which worlds Darkness was going to possess the leaders of."

Vanitas' incongruency with his previous statements was adding to how disturbed Raphael felt, but he stayed, curious as to where Darkness would be. Three portals of Darkness appeared in front of Vanitas and Raphael started to walk forward.

_"Wait," _Riku said, _"Let me use my Armour. You'll be protected if it's a trap, and I can take the signature of the world and find it on my rider."_

Raphael thought it over, then nodded. Riku summoned Way to Dawn and it transformed into Riku's Armour. Riku reached out a hand and plunged it into the Corridor of Darkness, then withdrew it. He did the same for the other two, then stepped back.

Riku dismissed the Armour and let Raphael back into the forefront. Vanitas had watched the entire process in silence, then said "Well, off you go. Send my regards to the Rikkisons!"

Raphael turned and summoned a portal of Darkness, and was about to go through when Vanitas added "Oh, wait, not all the Rikkisons. Marek's floundering around somewhere as well isn't he?"

Raphael whirled around and strode towards Vanitas. "Where's Marek? What've you done to him?"

Vanitas just laughed maniacally and said "I can't help you that much!" And he disappeared into his own portal of Darkness. Raphael ran to try and follow him but the portal closed before Raphael got through.

_"Don't worry about Marek." _Riku said, _"For now, let's just get back to Radiant Garden."_ Full of misgivings, Raphael summoned his own portal of Darkness and stepped through.

* * *

**There was a lot of anticipation for the Jack vs Corruption fight, so I hoped I delivered on that one as well. I was a little sad to let Jack lose, but he can't go around beating Corruption right at the start, so... yeah.**

**Hope you all enjoyed!**


	14. Part 2, Chapter 4

**And, here it is. I'm glad all of you liked the last fight scene. **

**The Unknowing Herald: Darkness does seem to be the most rational out of the three gods here. Funny how that worked out.**

**SorasApprenticeNumberOne: Yeah, that probably would have happened.**

**TerraKH: Glad you liked the fight!**

**TheEightLight: Sorry for the wait, but this story's focus isn't Griffin, so I'm telling you now that he won't be getting as much screen time as the others.**

* * *

RADIANT GARDEN...

Raphael stumbled out into the lifts where he had fallen and looked around. He didn't want to appear in front of Astelik in case he ruined the fight against Jack, and thought that he should make his own way up from the lifts.

Unfortunately, he was surrounded by Keyblade Masters running towards Astelik's chambers. There was a moment of silence and shock, then all of them pointed their Keyblades at Raphael.

_"Great job." _Riku muttered, _"And before you waste more of your Darkness trying to make a portal, there are barriers set up so don't bother. People can get in, but not out."_

Damn. They must have gone into automatic lockdown. Nothing Corruption could do to stop that, unless it had figured out how to manipulate the machinery on the 2nd floor. A Master broke the silence. "You! You dare return here after a year and try to assassinate the Grandmasters themselves!?"

_"Wait, a year?" _Riku asked, _"It must have been four months maximum you were away."_

Time passed differently depending on how close or far away one was from the Realm of Darkness. Light was related to time, somehow. Raphael really hated physics when he had learnt it and he hadn't picked up any love for the subject afterwards.

_"Hmm, that makes sense, I guess. Peter did mention that what passed for a thousand years in Narnia was just several months in his time." _Riku said. When he caught onto Raphael's curiosity, he said, _"Oh, just these kids that had a portal to another world in their wardrobe."_

Raphael really wanted to ask more, but it really wasn't the right time. _"I don't suppose you'd go into your speech about how Kingdom Hearts is actually good. I'm sure the Masters would be inspired and rise up in revolution"_

Really? This was definitely not the time. If Riku was trying to get him back for the Terra joke, would it be too much to ask that he wait until they weren't surrounded by thirty or so Keyblade Masters? His suspicions were confirmed when Riku asked, _"Do you want to start praying to Tewah, maybe get a couple of Tewah paintings to hang up?"_

If Raphael had been having any doubts as to Riku's mental age, they were blown away as he made the deep conviction that Riku was, indeed, a snarky teenager. After swearing at Riku for a few seconds, Raphael looked up at the Master directly in front of him.

"Nothing to say for yourself, blasphemer?" The Master asked. Raphael realized with a jolt that they had been friends before he had been exiled. "Casper," Raphael whispered. "Why-"

"You think I will show pity on blasphemers because I was fool enough to take you for a friend before?" Casper spat, and he swung his Keyblade at Raphael. He reacted on reflex, or maybe it was Riku controlling him. He sidestepped Seth's Keyblade slashed out with Heaven's Clarity. Casper stumbled back slightly, but was unfazed, as Raphael hadn't infused any Darkness or Light into his Keyblade.

Raphael drew Light into his feet for the first time in ages, and crudely jumped up over the crowd towards the doors. **[Black Garden, Kingdom Hearts BBS]**

It was an unpleasant feeling, like trying to force things through a blocked pipe. His legs ached as this foreign substance forced its way through his limbs. He had never learnt to take in Light the way he had taken in Darkness in the Keyblade Graveyard. Though he used to be accustomed to its presence, feeling it course through him was a different matter. As a result, his jump was weaker than he had anticipated and he almost landed on top of some Masters.

_"Nice." _Riku muttered as they raised their Keyblades to fire magic. _"You do know that more and more Masters will just come through that doorway, don't you?"_

Right. Raphael hadn't thought of that. Gritting his teeth, he drew on his own small supply of Darkness and ran up the walls to where he had last seen Jack. It had been refilled when he had been in the Lanes Between, but it was by no means limitless. This time, he didn't go straight up to the Grandmaster chambers, instead, choosing the first door that he found. Luckily, it was both uninhabited and had a window, which he dived out of, forgetting to open it in the process. Raphael cursed as broken glass cut him, and he used Darkness to sustain him as he flew.

_"Fly?" _Riku asked, "_I think you mean fall_" It was true. Raphael was not going as fast as he would have liked. Remembering what Marek had taught him, he braced himself for impact. He stirred the storm of Darkness inside him and forced it through his arms before letting it ricochet into his legs. The timing was a bit off, but he still achieved the desired effect. The Darkness prevented him from sustaining any injury from the fall and propelled him further along as he jumped several metres into the air.

Looking behind him, he didn't see any pursuit coming his way. He slowed down to a normal run and sped down into the lifts. He saw several apprentices get blown back as the air in front of him was pushed away, but he didn't take much notice as he dropped down the lifts. He saw the lifts moving along the wall, and hung onto one as he hurtled past. His arm would have gotten ripped off if he hadn't diverted more of his dwindling supply of Darkness into his arm. He saw two frightened apprentices on the lift staring at him as he manipulated the lift to go back down. **[end Black Garden]**

This series of lifts went straight down to the 1st floor, and Raphael jumped across the lifts as he saw the 16th floor, where he had last seen Jason, Mist and Rayne, approached. He slowed to a light jog and stopped using the Darkness. Now he understood why Marek had put so much emphasis on control and efficiency of Darkness.

_"Right. Darkness burns out faster, but is more powerful." _Riku said, _"Light isn't as strong but it's easier to use it and it lasts. That's why previous users of Darkness never matched up to heroes of Light: they relied on the power without any technique or skill. Many heroes of Light couldn't match up at first, but when they met the best, their raw power couldn't match up for the skill."_

Raphael nodded, and ran through the huge library. Unsurprisingly, the area where they had been was deserted. Where did he go now? He started walking towards the portals. It was dangerous surrounded by Keyblade Masters, and his supply of Darkness was nearly out. This was why he didn't want to come here in the first place.

He pulled his hood up and started walking so as not to draw attention. Making sure there was no one around, Raphael took the stairs down, which was unpopulated and only used when the lifts broke or malfunctioned. He emerged onto the 10th floor where one of the Portal Rooms were, and was wondering which world to run away to when he heard the booming sound of metal being struck repeatedly.

He ran over thinking it was one of the Remnants but he saw Max, swinging at the wall like it had killed one of his friends. He grunted with each strike, and the wall looked in real danger of caving in. These weren't the training rooms where even the Highmasters could run rampant. Raphael quickly stepped in and caught Max's Keyblade with his own Heaven's Clarity. Max looked up at Raphael in shock, then adopted the same resentful and gloomy face he had shown in the library.

"Why are you here?" he asked, "Every Journeyman and Master's been called up to the top levels."

"Why are you bashing the walls?" Raphael returned, "I'm not sure you could pay for the damage you've already done, let alone a broken wall."

"Not like it matters." Max muttered, as he brushed past Raphael. Raphael ran after him, but didn't know what to expect when he saw Max head into the Portal Room. Raphael grabbed Max's shoulder, but his hand was shaken off, as Max started pressing some buttons, configuring the Portal to his destination.

"Where are you going?" Raphael asked him, as he flipped a few levers and stood back to let the Portal charge up.

"None of you business." Max said, still not looking at him. His head faced away from Raphael, but he could tell Max was on the brink of tears.

"You shouldn't do what you don't think is right." Raphael said. "That's not how life's supposed to be lived."

"So, what? You've lived your life doing what you want?" Max asked coldly, "Well, lucky you." The Portal opened and Max started to step through. Raphael grabbed his shoulder again, but Max whirled around and fired of a Holy spell at Raphael. It was weak, but enough to knock the breath out of him and make him stumble back to the other end of the room. By the time he had gotten up again, the Portal had disappeared.

Raphael felt like smashing the wall open himself. Couldn't he help anyone? Instead, he reprogrammed the Portal for Twilight Town. Not only was it close to the Realm of Darkness, making it easier to soak in Darkness, many Keyblade Wielders went to and fro from the world, so it wouldn't be suspicious. Twilight Town had evolved from a random world in the Realm Between to the main outpost of Light against the Darkness. Not only were Keyblade Wielders stationed there often, but other fighters from other worlds also helped to strengthen this bastion against the Darkness.

Raphael went in, and was glad to see that the alarm hadn't been raised here. Not stopping to look around, he drew in plenty of Darkness before making a Portal of Darkness to the Dark Meridian.

* * *

DARK MERIDIAN...

Raphael stepped out and was greeted by the rest of them. They all stood up and crowded around Raphael, making him feel extremely awkward.

"Where have you been?" Mist asked, "We've been waiting for hours." Rayne and Jack were right behind her.

"Sorry I had to leave you like that," Jack said, "but I got to the bottom of the lifts and you weren't there, so I'd figured you ran off."

_"Right_,_ different time zones." _Riku said. Since the Dark Meridian was so close to the Realm of Darkness, time here would pass much slower than time in Radiant Garden. What must have been half an hour there must have been hours over here.

"Yeah, I've actually got a lot to tell you guys." Raphael said. He sat down on the beach, and told the rest what Vanitas had said. When he was done, he looked up and watched the reactions of the others.

"I wouldn't trust a sane Vanitas, let alone an insane one." Mist said.

"I would trust him." Raphael interjected. "He's unstable, which means he probably isn't plotting anything."

"Still," Jack said, "He's done some pretty awful things over the years."

"I think we should take that risk." Rayne said. "We don't have any leads as it is, and we need to do something."

"It'll be pretty dangerous." Jack said, "Are you sure-"

"Of course." Rayne said in an exasperated voice. "What am I, twelve? I'm just as capable as both you and mom, you know."

Mist started to speak, but Jason spoke up. "I agree with Rayne, Jack. Your judgement gets clouded when it comes to your family."

Jack started to speak as well, but this time Raphael cut him off. "Sorry, Jack. You're outnumbered four to two here."

"Who's the fourth?" Jack asked, looking from Rayne to Jason to Raphael. For an answer, Raphael tapped his head and said, "Riku agrees with us as well."

Jack sighed in resignation as Raphael let Riku take over and open the three Portals.

"I don't think we should go to all three worlds at once." Jason said, "If we do, then one person has to be by himself. I would rather that didn't happen, especially with the disturbing news we have concerning Marek."

They thought this over once, then nodded. "So who goes where?" Raphael asked after Riku had sealed one of the Portals shut. "I don't really mind who I go with."

Jason thought, then said "I'll go with you, Raphael. You three," he turned to Jack, Mist and Rayne, "go to another."

"Any particular reason?" Jack asked. He wasn't annoyed at the arrangement. On the contrary, Raphael thought he was in a better mood than he had been since he awoke in the Keyblade Graveyard.

"We need Riku to show us the way to the third world." Jason said, "And I credit myself with being the least reckless among all of us."

"Can't deny that." Jack laughed, and he led the way into the other portal with Mist and Rayne following him. The Portal closed and Raphael looked at Jason. "Was that really the reason why you split us up like this?"

Jason hesitated, then shook his head. "Jack is still thinking about Pierce too much. Some time with his family would do him good."

"Aren't you his family as well?" Raphael asked. He put his hands in his pockets as he waited for Jason's answer.

Jason thought it out a bit, then said "I am his family, but I was never the father he needed. We only truly met each other when he was nineteen and had just fought against Marek. By then it was too late for him to need a father figure, and it didn't help that I had just killed Yen Sid after being possessed by Marek"

Raphael didn't want to be insensitive or nosy, but he was curious "So how does he view you, then?"

Jason thought for a bit, and said "I suppose like a fellow Keyblade Wielder. Like a guide, or a mentor, or maybe a friend. But never like a father." Jason grew wistful as he said the words, and Raphael felt bad for bringing up a sore topic. "The same goes for Marek. I was an even worse father to him than I was to Jack. Half the time both his and Jack's bravado is covering up their own fears."

"And the other half of the time?" Raphael asked.

"The other half is just the Rikkison poking through." Jason chuckled. "I had hoped that I had done a better job with Rayne and Pierce. That they would see me as family, not just as the Watcher of the Worlds, or the most senior Master among their parents."

"Did they?" Raphael asked quietly. Jason nodded slowly "I think they did. At any rate, none of my grandchildren addressed me by my first name. I suppose that is a success in itself."

Raphael smiled, and got up. "We should be going." The two of them walked through the Portal, shutting it as they got onto the other side.

* * *

**So, that's the end of the Radiant Garden bit. It's also the last we'll see if Raphael and the rest for a couple of chapters, because the next bit will be focused on the rest of the group. Hope you're looking forward to that.**

**Until next time!**


	15. Part 2, Chapter 5

**The Unknowing Herald: Yeah, I might have overdone it with Riku, but I can't resist.**

**SorasApprenticeNumberOne: I personally like the insanity angle because it just fits the dubbed cackle Vanitas emitted in Radiant Garden, BBS. Don't know about you, though :)**

**TerraKH: Yup. I know I'm repeating this a lot, but great minds think alike**

* * *

The Land of Departure was a sacred land for the Keyblade Wielders, and by extension, a sacred land for the rest who dwelt in the Realm of Light. It had once been a majestic castle in the times of the Second Keyblade War, but as Radiant Garden had expanded and grown in power, less and less people came to dwell in what had once been the oldest stronghold against the Darkness. Now, people only came to the ruins to pay homage to Masters Terra, Aqua, Ven along with Sora, Riku and Kairi. Though no calamity had befallen the World, none had dwelt here in decades, and there was an abandoned feeling to the whole castle.

No one would have guessed that more than half of the Heroes of Light would one day return to their graves, but when Terra had to choose a point of refuge after the disastrous events in the Keyblade Graveyard, he had headed towards his old home without hesitation. **[Ven's Theme, Kingdom Hearts BBS]**

When they had arrived, they weren't shocked at how much the castle had expanded. They had prepared themselves for the worst, fearing complete annihilation of the world. As Terra, Aqua, Ven, Eraqus, Lea, Sora and Kairi walked through the castle, it was clear that though many buildings and roads had been added, the original castle lay unchanged.

Terra remembered running around the grounds chasing Ven and Jack, though more often it was he and the other two running from Aqua after another failed prank. There were even rare times where their pranks had succeeded. He had given Ven his wooden Keyblade down there in the courtyard, where the four of them had sparred countless times.

Unbidden, the thought of how he had sat on these steps and let the words of Xehanort fool him, and how he had slain Eraqus in those very grounds rose. Thanks to that, all his other memories he had in these grounds were tainted with tinges of sadness and regret.

Ven's first memories were of with Terra, Aqua and Jack. He had arrived here apathetic and oblivious of what friendship was, but seeing Terra and Aqua together, seeing Jack win the trust of all of them, being under the caring tutelage of Master Eraqus... it had shown him the way of Light and the true value of friendship. He had grown up here, and laughed as they ran around the grounds, either as they trained or as they ran from whoever was chasing them. He felt a little sorry for Aqua and all the grief the three boys had put her through, but after thinking about the fun he'd had, his guilt vanished. His last sight of Eraqus had been here, as he was pushed back into a Portal of Light. When he had returned here, it was in a comatose state, and the castle had been changed into Castle Oblivion by Aqua.

Aqua was glad that she didn't have to return to the sight of her ruined home. The first time she had returned with Ven on her back seeking refuge, the sight had been horrible. She too remembered all the time yelling at the three boys after they pulled off one of their usual antics. She remembered that magical moment of companionship she, Terra, Ven and Jack had had the day before their Mark of Mastery when they had looked up at the stars and shared the wayfinders.

It was ironic how well the wayfinders had worked; none of them had drifted apart for a millenium. They had stayed bound together in the Keyblade Graveyard, unknowingly playing the part set to them by Light. It galled Aqua how Light had manipulated them all. It was when they had first found themselves in their suits of armour, and discussed what had to be done. Once their plan, or Light's plan, had been formed, they still needed a force to bind the Keyblades together to protect Rayne. **[end Ven's theme]**

* * *

A LONG TIME AGO...

"All of us should do it." Sora said, "If we all join our Hearts, we'll be able to tap into the Heart of this World and draw the Keyblades here while still remaining sentient."

The ten Remnants were looking at each other solemnly. They had to draw Keyblades to this world, but doing so would require them to attune themselves to the Heart of the World, and put their individual Hearts at risk. Sharing the burden among all ten of them would ensure that they would retain their individuality, but not control of their powers.

Terra shook his head. "We need people to be fully aware and in control of their powers on this world, or else if someone comes here, we're not going to be able to instruct him properly."

Ven nodded "Yeah. What if we just had half of us bind our Hearts to the Heart of the world. That way half of us would be aware and ready to help whoever came to free us, and when the time came, one half could awaken the other."

They all agreed. They would have Jason stay aware, since he knew the most lore and would be able to inform their saviour of past events. Marek and Riku would stay in case the saviour needed to be taught the ways of Darkness, and Sora and Kairi were to stay in case their saviour needed to train in the ways of Light.

"No," Terra said. "We don't need all these people to bind the Keyblades. It'll be a tremendous weight on their Hearts, and there's no guarantee that they'll regain sentience anyways."

"Why not?" Kairi asked, "This provides a balance. Five people should be able to withstand the pull of the World just fine."

"What are you saying?" Aqua asked, though she had a suspicion of what Terra was suggesting. She had been with him for too long, and knew him better than he knew himself.

"I'm saying, that only one person is needed to bind Keyblades together, but he'll lose sentience forever." Terra stood up and was walking away, "I never made up for my past mistakes. If I'd just been stronger and not given in to Xehanort, Sora, Kairi, Riku, no one would be dragged into what happened all those years ago."

Aqua and Ven drew their Keyblades and held them at the ready.

Aqua jumped over in front of Terra to block him from going any further. "You are not going to be all noble and sacrifice yourself." she yelled, "We've been together too long, and you're not going to go off by yourself just to indulge in more guilt tripping!"

Ven nodded "Yeah. What about all the things we did together, all the things you taught me. We thought we were dead, but now we've been brought back to life and now you're just going to kill yourself again?"

"This isn't just about me!" Terra yelled, "Whoever's going to bind their Heart to the Heart of this world has to be strong. I've had Eraqus' Heart and Xehanort's in me. I've been a Lingering Will before, and I know what it's like. I'll be prepared."

He went on talking, cutting off Ven and Aqua "Who has a stronger Heart? Jack does, but he's needed to protect Rayne. Riku's been through the Darkness, but he's needed if we need to teach our saviour the ways of Darkness. Sora can probably match, but he's needed for teaching our saviour the ways of Light. Who else has a stronger Heart?"

He looked around, almost daring the other Keyblade Masters to speak.

They did.

"You don't have to do this alone, Terra" Eraqus said. He'd been silent during the whole exchange, but now spoke with more gravity than Ven or Aqua. "Your Heart won't hold under the pressure. You will definitely die. If five of us hold, then we stand a good chance of all of us recovering."

"We also run the risk of having our numbers reduced by half." Terra argued, "What if help doesn't come for thousands of years? This way, we lose one of us, but we are guaranteed nine Keyblade Masters freed."

He made to walk forward, but was thrown into the air by Ven's Tornado spell. As he was blasted into the air, Aqua swung her Keyblade at him, knocking him backwards. The others moved back, letting the three of them fight, and the area around them was quickly evacuated. Terra had drawn his Keyblade and faced Ven and Aqua. "Stop this. If our armour breaks, we don't know if we'll remain or not."

"Then stop trying to put this burden on yourself." Aqua retorted, not backing down. Terra looked at the ground, then at Ven and Aqua both. "Fine." He gathered energy into Ends of Earth and charged at Aqua. Ven went in to intercept him, but Terra changed direction and barreled into Ven, knocking him off balance. Aqua dodged his first strike, but was unable to parry his next ones and fired off quick magic at the ground to stall for time.

Ven had gotten up and ran towards Terra's unprotected back, but Ends of Earth suddenly extended into a whip that whirled around Terra. Part of Ven's armour was scraped off as he was forced back, and Aqua had to quickly cast Reflega. As her magical shield faded, Terra charged forward again. Aqua repelled him back with another reflect, giving Ven time to come up from Terra's other side. Terra jumped aside and swung an overhead blow towards Ven. Instead of dodging, Ven parried it and Aqua quickly put her blade behind Ven's to form an X shape. They struggled, all three Keyblades locked. **[Friends in my Heart, Kingdom Hearts II]**

"Terra, stop this." Ven said, "We need you."

"Ven, Aqua, I just..." Terra trailed off.

"What if we did it together?" Aqua asked. "Us three, binding the Keyblades together."

"What if you die?" Terra said, "I can't have that on my conscience."

"And what if you die?" Ven asked, "We wouldn't have that on ours."

"Remember that time we looked up at the stars?" Aqua asked, "And we swore that we'd never leave each other?"

"Yeah." Ven added, "We have an unbreakable connection, remember? Nothing can ever drive us apart, and we'll always find our way back to each other."

Terra flinched, and his hand automatically went to his wayfinder that was clipped to his waist. His distraction allowed Ven and Aqua overpowered him, making him stumble back. They stood in a triangle and looked at each other. "None of us is leaving the other." He said.

They all nodded, and Ven said, "An unbreakable connection. No matter what happens."

Terra nodded, then dashed over to one of the three spots in the distance. Eraqus was the first one to realize what they had done, but even as he dashed over, his three apprentices stuck their Keyblades into the ground and attuned themselves to the world's Heart.

The effect was instantaneous. A huge gust of wind blew all of the Masters back, the dust that was blown in the wake blinding the Masters. There was a sound like thunder, and the Keyblade Masters fell to the ground. When the dust had cleared, they saw a valley with mountains protruding upwards like sharp spikes of a dragon's back. It led to where Rayne and the rest were, though the exact point was hidden from sight by the mountains. They also realized they were looking from a much higher vantage point than before. Looking around them, they realized that they were all standing on one raised plateau, and that there were 9 more exactly like it. One for each Keyblade Master.

Terra, Ven, and Aqua were kneeling on the three plateaus closest to the new valley, and they saw that there was a torrent of water coming down from the source. It quickly flowed down through the plateaus and went on flowing far into the distance.

The earth itself had changed from hard stone to brittle soil, and the Masters' feet sank slightly into the soft surface. The soil was blown about by a breeze that hadn't existed before. At first they thought it was just the aftermath of the Terra, Ven and Aqua binding themselves to the world, but as the wind kept on blowing, they realized that it was something entirely different.

"Terra! Ventus! Aqua!" Eraqus yelled. He jumped over to the plateaus where Terra knelt and put his hand on his shoulder. Instantly he received a shock as Terra's voice resounded through his head. _"We have to protect Rayne. Protect Rayne, she can't return. Ven... Aqua..."_

Eraqus drew his hand back and looked at Terra in horror. Sora quickly went over to Ven and received the same shock. _"Terra, you can't leave us. We can't leave... Protect Rayne. She can't come back..."_

They all bowed their heads as Eraqus returned. They didn't speak, but they could sense each other's sorrow. They stood in a circle a while longer, then they retreated to a plateau and knelt on the ground as well. Eraqus remained on the plateau they had been standing on, and looked at his three apprentices. He would always think of them as his apprentices, even though they had far surpassed him in both strength of body and strength of Heart. "May we meet again one day. Maybe then I'll be able to earn the right to call myself your Master."

He then knelt as well, and prayed for the day when he would be able to look at the three of them again as humans, as the people they once were. **[End Friends in my Heart]**

* * *

BACK TO THE PRESENT...

Lea, Sora and Kairi walked around awed by the history and events imbued in the stones and arches. Their plan was to wait for two days in case the Rikkisons and Raphael also thought of retreating here, then hunt down all three divine beings. The others were also going to chase Light, Darkness and Corruption, and doing the same would ultimately bring them together.

At least, that was what they hoped.

Lea, Sora and Kairi left the other four to reminisce in peace, and had instead chosen to explore the extensions that had been constructed outside their lifetimes. It had been confusing walking through the city, but when viewed from above it made sense. The whole city was made of a series of concentric semi-circles, with the original building as the center. As more and more people moved to reside here, they would build up in the provided space, then move out into another wall that had been built once the population grew too much for the old confines. As such, one could view the architecture progress from the styles that were popular a thousand years ago on the inside, to the patterns that were popular at the time when people had stopped immigrating to the Land of Departure. **[Kairi's Theme, Kingdom Hearts]**

"I want to go back to the Destiny Islands." Sora said. He and Kairi were alone on a dusty rooftop, while Lea was resting on the level below. Kairi's gauntlet grasped Sora's, and even though none of them could feel, Sora's Heart twinged in a way he had almost forgotten was possible.

"Yeah. Maybe our descendents are there." Kairi said, "We never did get to see Soriah's kids grow much."

"Right," Sora said wistfully, "and Pierce's kids. He used to complain about Soriah to us; said he was a bad influence on his kids."

They both laughed and sat silently, treasuring this moment of peace they hadn't had since they possessed real bodies. "Poor Lea, though." Kairi said. He had lost some of his cheerfulness when he had been restored, and now he seemed as gloomy as Terra.

"Yeah," Sora agreed, "Imagine if that had been Soriah."

Kairi didn't say anything, but their armour clanked together as her grip on Sora's gauntlet tightened. "I wish Riku was here." She said after a short silence.

Sora nodded. "Yeah, he always was there. I miss him."

"Was it worth it?" Kairi asked, "Should he have sacrificed himself so we could be freed?"

Sora thought, then said "Maybe. Sometimes I think it would have been better if we just stayed dead. We're relics of the past, and we don't belong."

"But was it worth it?" Kairi asked, "If you could have stopped Riku from helping Raphael, would you have done it?"

Sora nodded slowly "Yeah. Not because I would rather have Riku here, but because I see how we were manipulated by Light. Clinging onto life like a barnacle onto a rock... what kind of life was that? Everything has its time, and ours came centuries ago."

"Then why didn't you stop living?" Kairi asked, "Why should we keep on living where we don't belong?"

"Because," Sora said, "it's our fault that Light and Darkness and Corruption are here. We have to fix it. It's our duty."

Kairi thought about that for a moment, then nodded. They stayed on that rooftop staring at the stars, and Kairi remembered the night when she had seen hundreds of shooting stars as she stood on the beach of Destiny Islands. Only she knew that they were the worlds returning after Ansem, Seeker of Darkness had been defeated. Everyone had been talking about how beautiful it was, but Kairi could only think of Sora and that he might never return. **[end Kairi's Theme]**

The three of them slept there, then wandered around the city before sleeping in an abandoned building again. On the second day, they headed back to the main castle as the sun rose from the sky.

"So what do we do now?" Sora asked. "We can't just go hopping from one world to another."

Eraqus paused, then said "I would like to pay my respects to King Mickey. I don't know if his grave is still in Disney Castle, or if it is heavily guarded, but it is still something I feel like I should do."

The seven of them looked at each other, then, seeing no objections, they made a portal and flew into the Lanes Between. Before she went into the portal, Aqua spun around on her rider and took one last look at her home before she followed the rest.

* * *

**There wasn't much plot development in this chapter, but one of the purposes of this chapter was to give Sora and Kairi some screen time, because they didn't even appear in the last part. **

**'till next time!**


	16. Part 2, Chapter 6

**I start school now, so I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to update like this. Definitely not once every two days. We'll see.**

**The Unknowing Herald: Thanks for pointing it out.**

**TerraKH: Glad you enjoyed it all.**

**SorasApprenticeNumberOne: I listened to the music for a long time, and it made me sad as well. I also listened to Kairi's theme, but didn't put it in their.**

Disney Castle had remained the same to all outer appearances. Its pristine white walls gleamed in the sunlight, and the same sunlight cast rainbows against the fountains that were in the well-tended garden. Guards still marched around the perimeter, and a ruling monarch still lived in the castle.

Ignoring the external layer, however, Disney Castle had changed. For one thing, the Cornerstone of Light was no longer there; instead, it was in Radiant Garden, where it shone as a beacon to deter any Darkness that might try and inch its way in. Disney Castle also held little political power due to weak rulers following the golden age of the legendary King Mickey and his immediate descendants. The world also had precious few sources of income, and, as a result, it was now reliant on the other worlds for support.

The seven remnants emerged from their portal in the sky on their riders, and quickly sped down to the castle. No one saw them. It was another sign of how much Disney Castle had declined over the years. Before, there would have been professional guards on alert at all times; but, now there were only trainees sent here as an afterthought.

As it was, the seven Remnants snuck into the castle easily, and looked around. The layout of the castle hadn't changed much, and the throne room was still where it had always been, along with the library and study. It had grown larger in the past millennium, but the expansions were empty and not a single person walked by. The exterior gleamed whitely, but the interior was grey with dust and lacked the pristine magnificence it had once possessed. Sora wondered if Donald and Goofy had had descendants. He hoped their line hadn't died out. Remembering with fondness how they had first met, he found himself wishing for his two companions to come falling out of the sky and crushing him under their weight again.

_"Always smile." _That was the first rule the three of them had. Too bad that was impossible without an actual face. He wondered if Eraqus knew where he was going. They entered the throne room, and it was as it had always been except for some alcoves and galleries added on at the top. The red, velvet carpet had been replaced with a blue one, though it still ran across the center of the room. It was probably dirty from years of lying here in this empty hall. It was saddening how dusty the throne room was, as if it hadn't been used in years. It probably hadn't. They all moved forward and headed down to the secret room where the Cornerstone of Light was. Sora remembered when the dark portal had appeared here, leading him to the Keyblade Graveyard and to Terra's Lingering Will. He wondered if Terra recalled anything that had happened in his armour.

The switch to open the secret entrance had also been replaced, but no normal lock could keep out a Keyblade. Eraqus sent a stream of Light through his Keyblade, and the throne shuddered aside, revealing a wide set of stairs. **[Xion's Theme, Kingdom Hearts 358/2 days]**

When they emerged into the dark room, Sora wondered how Eraqus had known to come here? Though this room had been empty except for the Cornerstone of Light the last time they were here, it was empty no longer. The room had been expanded even more, and now housed coffins in orderly rows. They were not dusty and still shone dimly through the dark. Some sort of spell had been cast around this room. Even though they shone, it wasn't with the brilliance of Light. It was like the moon; dim, but steady and perpetual. The engravings on the tombs seemed basic compared to the exquisite craftsmanship of the coffins, but set against that magical glow, the sparse carvings seemed to spread out across the coffins, entwining and embracing each other in an intricate dance that they eye could never hope to follow.

The Remnant's walked somberly through the tomb, and Eraqus went to the end of the room. As Sora followed, he realized that the coffins grew smaller and smaller as they proceeded forward. He wondered what Mickey's descendents looked like now. They were obviously taller. Did they look human? Did they have tails?

He drew his attention back to Eraqus, who knelt in front of the coffin at the end. It was the smallest as well. Mickey's size always betrayed his vast Heart of kindness. Sora remembered all the times Mickey had saved their lives, and remembered how many times he had saved Riku's. He looked and saw that Terra, Aqua, and Ven had joined Eraqus in his vigil, and Sora knelt as well, quickly followed by Lea and Kairi.

Ven remembered fondly of his friend. He had met Mickey in the Keyblade Graveyard, when Vanitas had almost killed him. Mickey had proven his courage there, and he had done it many times over in the rest of Ven's Journey. Even as an apprentice, he had huge reserves of courage.

Kairi remembered faintly the time in Radiant Garden when Mickey and Aqua had protected her from the Unversed. She couldn't remember all of it, and what she did remember was sketchy with the passage of time, but she remembered the feeling of safety she had felt behind the two of them. She felt that the two could shield her from anything as the monsters she had heard about in stories came to life. Later on, her adoration for her two saviours had turned to deep respect as she learnt of just how large the expanses of both their Hearts were.

Aqua smiled faintly as she recalled how she and Mickey had fought side by side to free Ven from the X-Blade and Vanitas. The last time she had seen him before she got trapped in the Realm of Darkness was in Yen Sid's tower as she lifted Ven onto her back. His head was drooping down from the loss of his friend, and the weary battle they had just fought. Despite his disconsolate face as he stared at the ground, she knew he would be recover from his loss. With Yen Sid as his Master and a Heart that shone as much as his did, he would become one of the greatest Keyblade Masters the Realm of Light would ever see. **[end Xion's Theme]**

They knelt there for some time and were about to leave when the door above them grinded open and they quickly hid behind the coffins. Who would be coming here? Sora didn't think anyone normally came to visit. His suspicions were confirmed when Eraqus hissed "Darkness! It's one of his vessels."

They crouched down low behind the coffins and sensed Xehanort's presence. They let out a hiss of anger as he started speaking "I assume we have reached an agreement?"

The other person nodded, "Yes. We shall not shun this chance for our house to rise back to its former glory."

"I am glad." Xehanort replied, "And you are sure there are no other Keyblade Wielders born of your line?"

"Yes." The man said tightly. "We shall arrange for him to meet you in Traverse City. I assume you can deal with the rest?"

Looking across, Sora could see Xehanort's suit of armour looming over a small individual. His black hair was tied into a ponytail as he looked up, his head only coming up to Xehanort's waist. Xehanort turned to leave, then said, "You have no qualms about what you are about to do?"

The man shook his head. "You're the one taking him under your wing, not me. Besides, giving up one child to the Darkness in exchange for the glory of our whole family? It is a price well worth paying."

Xehanort laughed, then started to climb up the steps again. "That determination. That desire to sacrifice in order to gain. You would have done well as Light's vessel."

The man frowned in confusion, and ran to keep up with Xehanort's longer strides, and they soon ascended into the throne room.

The Remnant's were quiet for a moment, then Sora spoke up "We have to go after Xehanort. We have to stop whatever he's going to do."

"What does he want to do, though?" Terra said, "He can't be looking for a new vessel, can he?"

"I don't think so." Sora said, "He wants the kid of whoever's family that guy belonged to because he's a Keyblade Wielder, and I bet that was Mickey's descendent. No one else could have known about this place."

"What?" Kairi cut in, "He's not a mouse."

"Who knows what they look like a thousand years later. Their bloodline could have gotten all..." Sora trailed off as he tried to find the right words. Aqua helped him and said, "Maybe he's worried Mickey's descendent can stand up to him. After all, if he's anything like Mickey, Xehanort would be bound to feel scared."

They chuckled quietly, then carefully moved out of the crypt. It would have been easier to create a portal of Darkness, but it had become their foe now, and only Marek and Riku had the control to use them efficiently in the first place. Luckily, they didn't attract any attention and nobody saw seven Keyblade riders set out into the Lanes Between.

* * *

TRAVERSE CITY...

All seven of them had prepared themselves for disappointment. After seeing two glorious and noble worlds reduced to a decrepit hulk, they had somehow all thought that every world they knew would have declined. Traverse City proved them all wrong.

If Raphael had been there, he could have told them how people had realized how much easier it was to travel to Traverse Town (as it was known then) than to the other worlds. The ruler of Traverse Town had imposed an exorbitant tax on import and export. At first, it had been boycotted and met with dissent and outrage, but after six months, the tax was reduced by a quarter. Even though it was still high, people were willing to pay the taxes in exchange goods both exotic and essential. The ruler had known that six months without near-essential goods that came from other worlds would have demoralized the boycotters, and the quarter-reduction on the tax seemed welcoming when put next to the prospect of more goods and materials.

Income had flown in, and had been used to further expand Traverse Town. Warehouses for goods from all the different worlds had been set up. Stalls and shops selling the goods for an increased price had been set up as well, and these bazaars had expanded, gradually spreading out of the city walls. More barriers were set up to protect the bazaars, and these barriers had turned to more walls, and the bazaars spread out through these new walls. In this manner, the cycle continued, walls being erect in a pattern similar to the one found in the Land of Departure, with the original Traverse Town in the center.

There had been many problems that always arose with rapid urban development, but the Keyblade Masters (the distinctions of Highmasters and Grandmasters had not yet been made then) recognized the importance of Traverse Town with respects to developing communication and harmony with the rest of the worlds, and many wielders had been sent to deal with crime rates and more money was funded into the development of Traverse Town. For a time, being sent to clean up the foul ditches that passed for toilets while the bazaars were developing became a punishment for the small mischiefs the apprentices got up to.

Technology developed, and the houses and stalls were knocked down in favour of buildings that grew higher and higher as the years went on. Now, Traverse City was a vast metropolis that boasted skyscrapers that reached higher than even the Towers of Light found in Radiant Garden. Everything was imported here, and people found it far more convenient to purchase their goods here. Whether it were blacksmiths purchasing ores from the magical mines from Agrabah, herbalists purchasing the healing plants from Gaia, Holy Dragoons from Baron purchasing lances and spears, or scholars purchasing tomes and theses from Academia, all of them came to Traverse City to find their goods.

Though it didn't cover the largest area, Traverse City contained the largest population, as citizens from every Realm imaginable came. First were the merchants and their assistants along with their families, coming here for a better life. Then came the people in charge of services such as hospitals and banks. Some of the shops contained highly volatile or harmful chemicals, and White Mages were always in high demand. Banks for the storing of money were even more numerous, as more and more income flowed into the World and robbery became extremely common. Firemen and police were also needed, although some Keyblade Wielders lightened their load when the crime rate rose too high. Last of all were the tourist facilities. Hotels and buses designed for people wanting to experience different cultures without going through the trouble of actually going there.

The seven Remnants emerged onto the roof of a skyscraper and looked down, flabbergastered at the size, height, and population of the city. The building they emerged on was one of the highest and rose almost four hundred metres into air polluted by fumes from the vehicles and buildings.

"Finding Xehanort in this," Sora said, as he looked down into the street that was so packed with people it resembled a river of humans, "Is going to be a lot harder than we thought."


	17. Part 2, Chapter 7

**Yeah, I'm going to stop doing shout outs now. The reason being, I just can't think of what to right, since I reply in PM anyways. Thanks!**

* * *

Lea didn't know what to do. _"The son should never die before the father."_ Lea remembered screaming those words at Raphael as he had been violently woken. Now he felt like screaming again. How had retaining their life seemed so attractive when they were being possessed by Light? Who would want to live to see their son turn against them, to be cast out into this unknown world, to be burdened with the impossible task of defeating the Three Divine Beings?

He had always been the light-hearted one. Jack and Mist had never let him around Rayne at first, and he guessed after nearly letting Rayne fall out of the window of Yen Sid's tower, he couldn't blame them. Where was his laughter now? Where were all the jokes that came so easily out of his mouth? Oh wait, he didn't have a mouth. And now everything made so much sense, didn't it.

Lea had never liked being on his own much, but now he wanted the solitude. The seven of them had decided to split up to try and search for Xehanort and Mickey's heir. Sora and Kairi had gone together, as had Terra, Ventus and Aqua. Eraqus had offered to go with Lea, but he told Eraqus that he could handle himself. Eraqus looked at him questioningly, but they had more important matters to deal with, and Eraqus let him go on his own.

His attention was riveted by the magical staffs with magicite jewels on top of them, and hoped the magicite was harvested in a humane and sustainable way. His attention was easily diverted like this. He saw some mages purchase them, and gathered from their conversation that they were from Ivalice. They mentioned a fifty year War of the Lions, and it saddened Axel again that after a thousand years, there were still wars occurring. He guessed things didn't change. Human stupidity, poverty, and his uselessness.

He decided to ask people if they had seen Xehanort. Judging from the stares they gave him, Keyblade Armour was rare in these parts. He went to a mage dressed in clothes and silks that he would have found alluring and distracting if he had a body with blood that flowed, and skin that could feel. After getting over the shock of a Keyblade Master addressing her, she shook her head and said she would have remembered seeing another Keyblade Master like him.

Lea tried this with other shoppers, and they all gave him a negative answer, after first getting over their shock of seeing a Keyblade Master, and in his armour, no less.

Thinking about it, whatever Xehanort was going to do, he'd do it in less populated areas. With a city this large, there were bound to be slums somewhere. Sighing, he ran to the top of a nearby skyscraper and looked around. Even though Traverse City had been maintained exceptionally well in its development, less and less apprentices were sent here. Crime rates had risen, and they were centered around certain plants from Gaia and other worlds that had uses which were certainly not medicinal.

He quickly found them and dashed over, trying to find see a gleam of armour that stuck out. He landed in the streets and ran, not wanting to look at the lifeless inhabitants here. Their swollen eyes, puffy with the drugs they took; the disfigured and crippled, all of whom were dead despite breathing.

The run-down and dingy shacks were made of wood, which had rotted and would collapse under any weight applied. He could make out small lights inside, and the dull muttering of apathy and hopelessness. His emotions were in turmoil, and he had to grit his teeth to stop himself from yelling out in anger. Running seemed merely to fuel his frustration instead of relieve it. Was this the Heart that they had sought? Was this what they had been freed into? Why was he so useless?

Lea didn't know what to do. He stopped running and calmed down, forcing himself to think clearly. He needed to find Xehanort and stop him. He wasn't going to be able to do that if he was in a rage. He calmed himself slightly, then asked some of the slum dwellers if they had seen a Keyblade Master. They gave him dumbfounded looks and ran away as fast as they could. Was this how Keyblade Masters were now viewed? Ruthless punishers of the weak? Lea was about to return to the city when he heard a boy shout out. "Why are you over here? You told me to meet you back at the edge of the slums."

Lea whirled around and looked down at a boy with black hair and the garb of a Keyblade Wielder. "Uhh, yeah." Lea said, fumbling for an answer. Luckily, he had always been good at improvising answers, and he said, "Quick, let's get to my friends, and then we'll get out of here."

The boy made to follow him, asking, "Why were you late?" but Lea grabbed him by the waist, and jumped high into the air with his Light-infused legs. He landed on the side of a short, concrete building and ran up to the roof, leaping across the roofs that increased in height. The boy was clutching onto Lea's waist tightly, though Lea only deduced this by looking at the whitened muscles of the boy's fingertips. He wondered how it would actually feel. It had been so long since he physically felt something.

When they landed on the roof of a skyscraper that had around forty five floors, he finally stopped and dropped the gasping boy onto the roof and looked around. The boy retched on all fours while Lea looked around, trying to sense his companions. They had a distinct aura about them, but it was impossible to distinguish them among the millions of people that milled around.

When the boy had regained his function of his bowels, he said shakily, "We could have just walked."

Lea ignored that, and instead asked, "You're Mickey's descendent?"

The boy looked at him strangely. "Course. Maxwell Mouse, that's me." There was a pause, and he said "Well, if you're going to take me into the Darkness, do it now. Light alone knows why you didn't just take me away on the outskirts of town. This seems a lot more conspicuous."

Lea was stunned. Did Max know he was being sent into Darkness? "Y-you want to be taken over by the Darkness?"

Max glared at Lea. "What are you talking about? The deal was to train me up as a seeker of Darkness. In return, you'd give enough power to my house to rule the Realm of Light."

"And you want this?" Lea asked.

Max glared at him. "Who wants to be taken? But this is for the glory of our house. We pretend to be docile and beaten by the Keyblade Masters, but seize the opportunity to rise in power and rule like we did in the days of old. _That_ is the way of our house. And _that_ is why you have to kill me."

Lea didn't know what to do. His only thought was of Mickey, and how saddened he would have been to see his family reduced to this state. He summoned fire in his hand, and it was so hot that Max flinched backwards a few steps, and the metal around Lea buckled. What was he to do? Why was it he who found the boy? Why was it the most useless one out of them all? He wanted to throw the fireball and melt the entire city, but that would just draw attention. More emotions to add to his overloaded Heart. Why couldn't they have just perished in the Keyblade Graveyard? That's what people did in graveyards, wasn't it? They died and stayed dead.

"You aren't him, are you?" Max said, bemused. "You aren't the man I was supposed to meet."

Lea shook his head. "I'm going against him."

Max spat on the ground. "Good for you. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to-"

"Walk off to your death?" Lea said, "For your parents that would have you dead if it meant bringing them power?"

"I walk into the damned Darkness for my descendants. My nephews and nieces and their children and their children." Max turned to leave through the doorway leaving to the rooftop. He brought out his Keyblade to unlock the door, but Lea grabbed him from behind and flung him off the building. Max screamed in terror as the ground loomed closer and closer, and his arms flailed wildly. All thoughts of spell casting were lost in terror as he let go of his Keyblade. He saw Lea's arm somehow appear and he quickly grabbed onto it, and the two of them returned to that rooftop.

Max stumbled away from Lea with wide eyes, yelling "What in the name of Kingdom Hearts and all that's unholy was that for!?"

"Do you still want to die?" Lea asked. "Because that's what will happen once Xehanort's done with you!" He regretted pretending to throw Max off the building the moment he had let go. It was just his frustration at Max, the Divine Beings, and most of all himself that built up. Jack wouldn't have lost control. Neither would Sora or Kairi. They'd know how to coax Max out of walking into Xehanort's hands.

"Of course I don't!" Max yelled. "Who would want to have their lives dictated for them?" He sighed and turned away with his shoulders hunched. "Welcome to my life. I've been told what to do by my family. Don't see how being taken over by Xehanort will be any different. Still, I have to do it for my ancestors and my descendents. We all have to die someday. It just happens that I'll to die sooner than most."

Lea didn't know what to do. Now, wasn't that a delightful surprise. He walked up to Max and put a hand on his shoulder. "Family. Why is it so important to you?"

"It's everything to me." Max's voice was subdued, "It's what I was raised on. It's all I have. It's all I need."

"Is it all you want?" Lea asked, at the same time wondering where the others were. Max stiffened, then said slowly "Why does it matter what I want? My family's needs come before my selfish desires."

"Doesn't seem as if your family needs power. Looks like they're putting their wants in front of yours." Lea said dismissively. Max didn't react well to this.

"Shut up!" Max yelled, though he still didn't turn around, "What would you know about my family?"

_"I knew Mickey and he was one of the best friends I had the privilege of having!" _Lea wanted to scream at Max and end his life just like he wanted, but held back again. Why weren't the others here? Why did it have to be Lea that found Max? "From what I've heard of your family, they want power for themselves and are using the excuse of helping their descendants to sacrifice you to a madman."

Max's fists clenched as Lea's harsh words cut him like no Heartless could have done. "My parents may use my descendants as an excuse, but it shall still happen. Even if my parents don't care about me, I care about what happens after I'm gone." He turned and Lea wasn't surprised to see him crying. "I don't care what my parents think, or why they're sacrificing me. I just know that this will bring power to our descendants; enough power to make our ancestors proud of us again."

"You're mistaken if you think Mickey would be proud of you just for possessing power." Lea said, "I think he'd be saddened at how unhappy you are."

"What the hell do you think you're talking about." Max yelled, "You don't know anything about what King Mickey would want." And he fired a burst of Light at Lea. He was caught unawares and stumbled back with his armour cracked. Max jumped up and summoned his Keyblade, raining frenzied blows upon Lea.

Lea didn't even bother summoninig his Keyblade and met all the blows with a single gauntlet. Max was yelling and crying at the same time, and his last blow missed Lea completely, and he stumbled onto the ground as he cried.

Lea didn't know what to do. Should he kneel down and comfort Max, right after he'd been defeated? Should he stand there, simply watching Max cry? Max looked determinately at the ground, and said "So I should do what I want? I should just make myself happy, knowing I'll condemn the rest of my house to live in obscurity for the rest of their lives until the castle crumbles into dust and the last of us die out?"

Lea knelt down and wanted to look Max in the eye and smile, tell him everything would be fine. But he didn't have eyes to look at, a mouth to smile with. He didn't have the Heart to lie. "Do what you think is right. If you think that giving power to your parents is the right thing for the Realm of Light, then go off to your death. If you think that they'll use the power for good, like King Mickey would have used it, then walk off to Xehanort." He paused, and said "But if you think there's another way to do right; if you think there's another way to raise your house to glory, then come find my friends."

He stopped talking, and Max hadn't budged from his original position. It seemed so similar to the positions he and the other Remnant's had adopted for so long. Lea sighed and got up. Maybe Max would just run off and leave Lea looking like an idiot. Maybe he had just given Max the opportunity to walk back into his death. Thinking about it, the whole speech about doing what was right seemed contrived. What if Max didn't care about doing right? What if he did what made him happy and chose to stay in the illusion that sacrificing himself would help his descendants. Lea stood up and walked away when Max grabbed his ankle. "What's the difference if I go with you guys?" He asked, "Can you make me happy?"

Lea grabbed Max's shoulders and pulled him upright. Lea knelt so he didn't tower over Max, and said "I can't make you happy. People can make you believe they can make you happy, but only you can attain the happiness Mickey would have been proud of."

Max looked down at Lea's helm. His pale cheeks were red, as were his eyes. His black hair was messy even though it didn't come down past his eyebrows. His expression puzzled Lea, and didn't know what to make of it. It wasn't hatred. It wasn't determination. Not weakness, nor sorrow, nor was it the face of someone who had no idea what to do. It was a mix of fear and resigned resolve. Fear of his family, of what he was going to do, of Xehanort, and the unknown. He was scared of so many things. Was that better than being angry at so many things? Lea didn't know, but promised himself to stand by this kid until he stopped being scared.

* * *

**So, as you could see, I kind of made Lea pretty different to the canon material. Don't worry, he won't stay this down forever. With school and everything, I might be updating around once every four days now. Hope you enjoyed this.**

**'Till next time!**


	18. Part 2, Chapter 8

Terra hadn't spent much time in Traverse Town. One of the sharper memories he had was when he and Jack had brought Ven here and accidentally gotten him drunk. In his defence, half a cup of wine was rarely enough to get anyone drunk.

"In my defence, I was thirteen." Ven added. They still had the strongest connection out of all the Remnants due to their connection to the Heart of the Keyblade Graveyard, and the three of them could still more or less read each other's thoughts.

"I don't think you're proving the point you think you are." Aqua said dryly, "And even though we got away with it," she continued in response to Terra's unspoken thought, "It doesn't mean we should have tried it again."

"Ven was pretty eager." Terra said. "And we didn't get caught the second time either."

"Or the third." Ven added, "Although Jack was with Mist the third time."

"After Terra mistook him for a lady on our second escapade," Aqua laughed, "I think Jack got scared off."

"You really egged me on that time." Terra muttered in embarrassment. "I shouldn't shoulder the blame on my own on that one."

"Well, if there's a benefit of having friends that get drunk repeatedly," Aqua said, "It's that it was pretty easy to perfect a spell that sobered all of you up."

They laughed as they walked beneath signs that flashed brightly in the evening, advertising exotic foods from the depths of Atlantica. They were in a foreign world in a foreign time, but they felt safe just being around each other. There were no secrets or hidden emotions between them, and they took comfort in the fact that they were mutually understood. **[Jump, Two Steps from Hell]**

Suddenly, Terra stiffened and looked up. Ven and Aqua didn't know what was coming, but Terra's sudden anger and surprise put them all on alert. A Portal of Darkness opened a few streets away, and they saw two figures come out.

Or rather, they saw one figure step out and hover over the ground while another fell past the buildings where the three Remnant lost sight of both of them.

Looking at each other, they quickly jumped to the top of the building in front of them and ran over to where the Portal of Darkness opened up. They landed on the building overlooking the street where the second figure had fallen and was now getting up. In front of them was Xehanort, although he didn't sense them behind him as he talked to the second figure who was getting up slowly. "Face it. You can never defeat me. I wield the power of Darkness incarnate. Your time as Darkness' vessel has ended long ago. That privilege goes to me."

Marek looked up, and they all saw his helm was cracked, and chips of his armour littered the ground where he had fallen. They thought he was off balanced and leaning to one side at first, before realizing his left arm was missing. "Listening to you, you'd think being possessed by some insane god was a good thing. We all knew you had lost your mind when we first met, but after having Darkness invade what's left of your decrepit brain, I don't think a word exists that can describe your mental state."

"You have hid behind your bravado for long enough." Xehanort growled. "Just perish in the Darkness like you should have. Your time in the Darkness ended long before your death."

Marek snorted and said, "Your time ended before half of us were born! How many time have you been brought back as someone else's pawn? I think it's 4 times if we're counting being brought back to work for an insane, middle-aged Sora. Hell, you could give cockroaches lessons on hanging onto life"

"I've won this battle, just like I told you when we started this fight days ago." Xehanort said, landing on the street in front of Marek. "You don't even have enough strength to break your fall."

Marek laughed. "What are you talking about? I only ever used Anti-grav spells 'cause I felt sorry for the poor ground being forced to take the impact of my landings."

He got up and pointed his Keyblade at Xehanort again. "I'm nowhere near done."

The three Remnants jumped down as Xehanort raised his hand to fire Darkness at Marek, but he slashed at Xehanort's gauntlet setting it off course while kicking at Xehanort with his foot. Xehanort stumbled back, and was about to slash at Marek when Terra's Ultima Cannon came down from above on his head. Ven came in front of Marek to heal him with a blaze of Salvation, while Aqua set a strong barrier around the area to make sure no civilians got hurt.

Xehanort growled as armour started crumbling off, and Marek quickly followed up with another punch to Xehanort's breastplate, despite the considerable damage already done to his armour.

Xehanort stumbled back but didn't fall as Darkness exuded from his armour and knitted the armour together. It shone with a dark gleam as it was repaired within moments. "The power of Darkness stands behind me. You cannot defeat me."

"Maybe not in the Realm of Darkness, but here?" Aqua asked, as she blazed with Light, going into Spellblade drive command.

"Yeah," Ven said, looking back at Marek as he went into his Wingblade drive command. "Why the hell did you decide to fight Darkness in its own Realm when it has access to all its power?"

"I was trying to find you guys. When the old cockroach ambushed me." Marek said, "I guess Darkness has a monopoly on all its Corridors."

"Nice plan." Terra said, landing beside Ven, "You must've thought it through a lot."

"Hey, I found you guys." Marek said, "I think that makes it a success."

Xehanort looked at the four Remnants, then snorted and fired off Dark Volleys in all directions. They ricocheted madly off Aqua's barrier that enveloped them all to protect the civilians, and they would have all been hit if Ven hadn't set up a barrier himself. When the smoke cleared, Xehanort had vanished. **[end Jump]**

Terra looked at Marek and asked, "Are you alright?"

"Course." Marek grunted, flexing his arm that had been regrown through the Curaga spell. Curagas normally wouldn't have been able to regrow broken limbs, but things were different with armour.

"Where did he go?" Ven asked, "Why did he run?"

"He wants something here." Marek said, "I gathered that much when we were fighting. I was trying to keep him away from here, but he snuck past me."

"You sure that's what happened?" Terra laughed. "Looks like you would have died if we hadn't made it here."

"Look," Marek said, "Are we going to stand around drawing attention, or are we going to start chasing him."

"He said you'd been fighting for days." Aqua said, "How can that be?"

Marek shrugged and said, "Time passes differently in the Realm of Darkness. You've had first-hand experience with that, haven't you?"

"Can you sense him?" Ven interrupted. His Wingblade drive command had faded, and his armour had stopped glowing.

Marek nodded. "I used to be Darkness' vessel. I can sense it in the same way we can sense Light."

"Alright," Aqua said, "Lead the way."

Marek led the others as they ran up the smoothest building and said, "He's after Mickey's heir. He wanted to come here to find him, which was why I tried to delay him in the Realm of Darkness."

"We know. We overheard Xehanort talking with someone in Disney Castle." Terra said. "We were visiting Mickey's grave and we just overheard."

Marek laughed as they landed on the roof and started heading towards the slums. "That was Eraqus' idea wasn't it. Always was a sentimental kind of guy."

The three apprentices smiled slightly and kept on following the trail of Darkness that led to the slums where Max was supposed to be waiting for Xehanort.

* * *

Kairi walked alongside Sora, drawing stares wherever the two of them went. How were they going to find the heir in this place? Sora hadn't been talking as much as she had thought, and she wondered if something was wrong. Even in his old age he had still been able to find beauty and novelty in the world around him. His eyes had never lost their light, and they had shone with curiosity and mirth, even until the day he died.

She pushed the thought out of her head for the moment. Sora would tell them if something was wrong; he wasn't the kind to hold it in like Riku. She laughed in delight at the decorations being sold in the shop next to them. A banner dazzled with multi-coloured lights whizzed across it, spelling out different logos and words into the fabric. The shopkeeper was yelling out that these came straight from Halloween Town itself, and weren't the fakes you got that were made elsewhere.

Kairi hadn't been there, and had only heard Sora's description of the town. Still, it didn't surprise her how the world could expand from simply making halloween decorations to adornments and posters to be used all year around.

She turned to Sora, but he was distracted and didn't take notice. "Sora, what's up." she asked. It wasn't like Sora to be so quiet.

Sora paused, then said "I can't summon the Kingdom Key anymore."

Kairi was so stunned she almost walked into someone, which would not have been a pleasant experience seeing as she was in hard armour. "What? Can you still wield the Keyblade?"

Sora nodded. "I can summon Oblivion and Oathkeeper, but not Kindom Key."

"Are you sure it's not just Roxas?" Kairi asked. Sora shook his head, and replied "I can still use my techniques. I think it's just the Kingdom Key I can't summon."

What did this mean? She could still summon hers, and didn't think the others had any problems with their own Keyblades. As she was thinking, they proceeded into an even busier part of town, where almost all the shops seemed dedicated to selling clothes. Looking around, she saw a mechanical billboard, which changed the image it projected every so often. Why wouldn't the Kingdom Key heed Sora's summons? What did this mean?

As she was thinking, she actually did bump into someone. She leapt back and started to apologize, but the man she had bumped into seemed fine and unmarked.

"Well, this is something I haven't seen before." the man said. He was tall and skinny, with brown hair that spiked up at the front. His eyes were brown, but bright with intelligence and hope. "A Keyblade Armour without a body. I assume you have something to do with the sudden amount of Darkness and Light that's come to this Realm?"

Kairi didn't know what to say. Who was this man, and how did he know about any of this? Sora was shocked as well, and waited for the man to say some more. Instead, he gestured into a side street and said "I have a small cafe this way. We can talk there."

"Who are you?" Sora asked as the man led the way. The man turned with a smile and said, "No one special. Just call me Mr. H."

* * *

They followed Mr. H through alleyways and under a bridge until they eventually got to a quaint cafe on the outskirts of town. He told them to sit while he went to get a coffee for himself. Sora was almost certain that this Mr. H was just letting them hang in suspense for fun. He got back with his coffee and sipped it leisurely.

"Uh, Mr. H?" Kairi said, "How do you know about what's going on?"

He looked up at them with that seemingly perpetual smile on his face, and said "Are you sure that's the right question to be asking?"

Kairi hesitated, then asked "Who or what are you?" This wasn't any better than her last question, and Mr. H just shook his head. That smile was getting annoying.

"Who does the Kingdom Key belong to?." It was Sora. At first Kairi didn't know what he was talking about. Wasn't the Kingdom Key his? But after thinking about it, Kairi realized that the most likely explanation for the inability to summon the Kingdom Key was that it now belonged to someone else.

Mr. H's smile broadened, then he started to laugh. "Sharper than his armour." Mr. H said, "That's a good question. A very good one."

He drank more of his coffee, then said "A Keyblade seeks out those who are worthy and in need of it. It could be anyone. Of course, a Keyblade remembers its old wielders. A Keyblade is more than metal, and it can remember. When the time comes, even if there are more worthy candidates, if the Keyblade returns, then it goes to the closest thing it can get to its old Master."

Sora didn't understand and shook his head. Mr. H let out a small chuckle "The descendents of the Master and his relatives."

Kairi felt amazement come from Sora, and she was surprised as well. They had wanted to seek out their descendents, but now it was actually part of their mission. "So the reason Sora can't summon his Kingdom Key, is because his descendent has it?"

Mr. H nodded, "It might be dormant, and he might not be using it, but it will answer his call when the need comes."

"How do we know we can trust you?" Kairi asked, "We need to know who you are and where you come from."

Mr. H finished his coffee and stood up. "I'm a fallen angel. That's how I know these things."

Sora and Kairi didn't know what to say, and looked at each other as Mr. H rinsed out his mug and left it out to dry. Neither of them knew whether to believe him. Then again, they supposed that what mattered was whether they chose to believe him. Was the point of his answer simply to show them how little his identity mattered?

"Why are you telling us all this?" Sora asked. "If you're really an angel, then why do you care so much?"

"I'm a fallen angel." Mr. H corrected, "And I can feel. You think it gets easier after seeing people die in front of you over the years, but it doesn't. I still care as much as I do when I was a human." He trailed off, and said more brightly "I was cast out for breaking rules, and it seems old habits die hard."

Sora and Kairi didn't know what to say, and Mr. H continued "I don't normally help humans, seeing as most of them are the same to me, but when Gods start getting involved, well." He shrugged.

"So what are you going to do?" Sora said, "Can you help us beat Light and the others?"

Mr. H shook his head. "I'm not sure what I can do about beating Light, but I can help fend it off when it arrives here."

"What do you mean arrives here?" Kairi asked, "How do you know it's coming?"

"Darkness is here because of something it wants dead." Mr. H said, still smiling despite the knowledge that Light would come, "Or at least its vessel is. And what Darkness wants dead, Light wants to keep alive."

"When is it coming?" Sora asked. He got up and was about to run out if Kairi hadn't grabbed his arm. "What about the others?" Kairi asked him. "We need to regroup."

Mr. H shook his head. "Nope. The others are needed elsewhere. It's just us three now." He looked up suddenly and said "Ah, good timing. Here they come."

Sora and Kairi felt it. It was like hearing a familiar tune. They had forgotten what Light felt like, but now they remembered it clearly, and remembered what it felt like to be possessed by it. Kairi stood up as well and strode out, Mr. H following them with that small smile stuck on his face.

* * *

**OK, so just for those of you who don't know, Mr. Hanekoma is from the DS game The World Ends With You. He was not just a cameo, deus ex machina kind of a appearance. He won't have as much significance as the main cast, but he will play a small role in the story. **

**The bit at the beginning about Ven getting drunk when he was thirteen did happen in TerraKH's Untold Stories of TAVJ, which I consider to be canon material for this story. Just note that TerraKH only wrote about the first time. The second and third times that were mentioned was me.**

**Speaking of which, I haven't done a disclaimer in a while, so: I own no elements in this story other than my OC's Raphael, Max, and the Grandmasters. Marek and any other mention of the Rikkisons or Light, Darkness and Corruption as sentient beings belong to TerraKH. Anything else belongs to Square Enix.**

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter. ****'till next time!**


	19. Part 2, Chapter 9

**OK, here's the next chapter. I'm glad Mr. H got a good reception, I was wondering if it might seem too random for this story. Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Lea was running to where the seven of them had split off with Max on his back. It was clear that Max couldn't run up buildings, and now he was gripping on tightly to Lea's shoulders. Suddenly, he drew upright as he felt the presence of Light descend. He clenched his fist tightly at the memory of how that damned God had taken his son and used him like a puppet against him. Max winced in pain and Lea realized that he had gripped Max's leg tightly without realizing it.

Couldn't he do anything without hurting other people? He guessed that was just how fire was. Difficult to reign in, easy to get hurt by it. He could have opened a portal, but that took time and he wanted to stay together with the others. He couldn't open portals as easily as Marek or Sora could. They were more attuned to Darkness and Light, so they could navigate through it with more ease.

His Heart hadn't been bonded as close to the other Remnants, but he stood still on a residential building with around twenty floors and tried to sense them. He sensed Terra, Ven and Aqua off in the slums, curiously accompanied by Marek. When had he arrived here? Over on the other side of town, he sensed Sora and Kairi running back to the center. Lastly, he sensed Eraqus making a beeline towards him. He briefly wondered how the citizens of Traverse City would react to Keyblade Masters running across their rooftops.

Then he sensed Light arrive. At first he had been unable to tell what it was, because it was so familiar. It was like a bird returning to the air. At first he thought it was right, how it should be. Then, he shook himself and remembered all that it had done. Concentrating, he sensed it spreading out into three directions. Some Remnants sped towards Sora and Kairi, some sped towards Terra, Ven, Aqua and Marek, and some were speeding towards him.

He swore, and started running back towards Eraqus. It would be safer to run to where Terra and the rest were, since Marek could easily open a portal; but, he owed Eraqus too much, so he ran back to where he was. Max grimaced in pain as he was bounced around. Before long, Lea saw Eraqus dashing towards him, and he stopped abruptly, almost making Max tumble off. As it was, Max jerked painfully into Lea's spiked helm, and Lea hoped he hadn't accidentally hit the figurative bullseye.

Not waiting to talk, Lea quickly gestured into the direction of Sora and Kairi, and started running in that direction. Unfortunately, Light must have sent some of the Remnants to cut him off, and there were six each coming in on both directions. Groaning, Lea set Max down and summoned his Keyblade, standing next to Eraqus who landed next to him.

"Max, go find Sora and Kairi." Lea yelled, "Find them quickly!"

Max nodded, and started running in the direction Lea gestured. He couldn't run up buildings, but he could jump from rooftops of equal height, and he could break his fall when jumping down from great heights. He started running, and Lea was glad that they had passed the city center. From now on the buildings would only get lower as they got closer to Sora and Kairi.

Lea and Eraqus turned to fight the Remnants, but they all ran towards Max. He yelled out and swung his Keyblade wildly as he jumped to the next building. Eraqus dashed over and intercepted the strike while Lea cast a golden ring of fire around all of them except for Max. He quickly gestured for Max to run before raising the the walls of the ring until it formed a dome.

Eraqus gathered the fire around him into six columns and levitated towards the Remnants. Lea's fire combined with Eraqus', and created a wall of fire that advanced towards them.

_"We are the Lightsworn."_ The Remnant at the front, or perhaps it was all twelve of them at once. _"You cannot hold us all back."_

"Why do you want Max?" Lea yelled as he fiery streams flew towards the Remnants, "He's just a kid! Why can't you leave him alone."

_"He has a grand part to play in this holy war."_ The Lightsworn said, as they leapt over the fire that flew towards them. Half of them tried to get at Eraqus, which proved difficult as the raging firestorm around him was enhanced by the fiery dome they were encased in. _"He should be honoured to be used for the greater good, to bring peace and order to the Realms of Light and Darkness."_

Lea spat. "Bullshit! You're killing wherever you go! Where the FUCK is the greater good in this?" The fiery dome grew in heat and power as Lea's fury grew. He ran towards the nearest Remnant, and launched a series of explosive blows towards it. It was a quite literal description as he left explosions in his wake.

_"Destruction is always needed to bring peace."_ The Remnant was quickly joined by others, and Lea lost himself in the battle. _"How can people be united and at peace if their beliefs clash."_

It was a heated battle, and Lea could hardly see or differentiate the Remnants he blew back. They seemed to come forever and the brightness from the fire blurred his vision around the edges. He would slash at one and dodge another, then move back as a third slashed at him before moving forward again.

After a short while, Eraqus landed next to him and asked, "There were twelve Lightsworn at the start, right?"

Lea grunted as he blew back a Remnant armed with a double sided sword. "Yeah. Why?"

Eraqus waited to blow back another Remnant with ethereal chains, then said, "There are nine Lightsworn in here."

Lea swore and set off an explosive fireball in the general direction of the Remnants before running out of the dome. Eraqus cursed as well and dashed out of the dome, scorching some of his armour off as he did so. Luckily, the flames had died down somewhat and his armour wasn't melted off. The remaining Remnants were also able to flew out of the dome, their armour staying unharmed; and they were gone before the dome of fire died down, leaving a huge patch of scorched concrete.

Lea was running as fast as he could, not caring about Eraqus or any of the other Remnants or Lightsworn. He had promised to protect Max, and now he could have already been slaughtered by those Lightdamned Remnants. Or Lightblessed as it might be. He sensed Remnants closing in on Max, but he also sensed Sora and Kairi running towards the Remnants as well. It would depend on how fast Sora and Kairi could get to Max. Lea swore again at his helplessness, and drew in more Light to speed off faster.

* * *

Sora and Kairi ran through the streets towards the Lightsworn sent their way. There were 10 in all, but they saw 6 peel off and head in another direction. Sora summoned Oathkeeper to his hand, while Kairi summoned Destiny's Embrace to hers. Mr. H ran behind them with his hands in his pockets and that smirk still stuck on his face. The remaining four Lightsworn jumped from the rooftops, two on each side. Sora jumped up, drawing Light into Oathkeeper while Kairi jumped to the other side with Destiny's Embrace in her hand.

The two Lightsworn on Kairi's side flung out white fire, almost identical to the kind that Jack had a habit of using. She jumped to one side, then swung Destiny's Embrace towards both of them, infusing it with Light as she did so. The Light was simply absorbed by the white aura around the Remnants and she had to jump back quickly to avoid the Keyblades of the Remnants. Sora had experienced the same thing with the Remnants he had attacked, and jumped next to Kairi.

_"Fools!"_ Light yelled, _"You think to defeat me with the power I grant you?"_ The Lightsworn raised their hands and conjured up spheres of brilliant Light. He sent them flying towards Sora and Kairi, and they barely dodged the huge explosion. They were propelled backwards and ended up behind Mr. H, as his shirt fluttered about in the aftermath of the explosion. He walked forward saying, "Isn't this a little unfair? One god against two humans?"

_"Stand back, angel._" Light spat, _"Your duty is not to interfere in the lives of these puny mortals."_

Mr. H didn't flinch, but he didn't laugh either. His smile was still stuck on his face, but his eyes glinted with determination. "And it's your duty to kill these people?"

_"Silence. You are but a servant of something greater!"_ Light yelled, and all four Lightsworn dashed towards him. He summoned the spirits of a skeletal lion and tiger, and they blocked the Lightsworn, pushing them back.

Turning, he said, "Go! There's a kid who needs your help over there. Find him and protect him." He turned and flexed his hands, causing the spirits to move forward. Sora and Kairi hesitated, but ran in the direction Mr. H had directed them in. As they ran, they heard him say, "Sora. You tell your friend that his world ends with him. If he doesn't expand his mind, he'll never see what's hiding right in front of him."

Sora turned and wanted to ask Mr. H what he meant, but he turned away to the Lightsworn "Let's see how you handle things on the Noise Plane, shall we?" The five of them flickered, and they suddenly disappeared. They didn't fade into the Darkness or Light, they just disappeared.

"Where did he go?" Kairi asked. Sora paused beside her and tugged on her arm. "He can take care of himself. I don't know who he was, but he didn't seem like a pushover."

Kairi nodded, and started running again.

They had only ran for a minute when they saw the kid Mr. H had talked about. He was short, with black hair with blue eyes, and it was clear that he was terrified. As he was running, he looked back and he grew more frantic. Sora saw that there were three Remnants chasing after him, and they were gaining on him quickly. Sora paused and used Ragnarok. Kairi strengthened the lasers, and they soared towards the three Remnants. He had paused to launch it in the air, and Kairi had sped past him, getting to Max before the Remnants. The Remnants had to jump back to avoid the explosion, but they quickly ran towards the child again.

"Who are you?" Kairi asked, as the child asked, "Are you Sora and Kairi?"

Neither had a chance to respond as the Remnants caught up. Kairi quickly swung at them while Sora dashed from behind her, using Sonic Blade to close the distance. The kid moved back as the Remnants advanced on Sora and Kairi.

Sora summoned Oblivion in his other hand, and yelled "Ars Arcanum." He swung his Keyblades furiously at the Remnants, who dashed around or jumped over him. Sora kicked one Remnant off the building, before throwing Oblivion at one of the Remnants who had tried to skirt around to get at Max. There had been another Remnant who jumped over Sora, but Kairi met it midair and forced it back.

Light growled in anger, and it had the Remnants dismiss their Keyblades. They raised their fists and charged towards Sora and Kairi. Normally Sora and Kairi would be able to hold them back because of their longer reach, but with Light strengthening and healing the armour, the Remnants could take hits before closing in and unleashing a series of punches and kicks. They were strong and much quicker than the Keyblades, and Sora and Kairi had to back away to avoid having their own armour damaged.

Sora used Sonic Blade and dashed between the legs of one Remnant, swinging at its unprotected back. The Remnant's armour cracked, and it stumbled forward, but he suddenly spun and delivered a roundhouse kick that sent Sora flying off the roof. Kairi was trying to fend off the two other Remnants, but they circled around to catch her on two sides, and one Remnant sent her Keyblade flying with a swift kick to her wrist, while the other punched her in the torso, sending her flying off the Roof as well.

The three Remnants turned and advanced towards Max. Wide-eyed, he turned and started running again, summoning his Keyblade as he did so, but one Remnant knocked him into the adjacent roof and his Keyblade disappeared when he let go of it. The three Remnants surrounded him and one raised his Keyblade over Max's head. He yelled in terror as it came down to stab him in his chest.

There was a blaze of energy and suddenly all three were sent flying back. Light yelled out in surprise, and when the Light cleared, Max was still lying on the ground but with his Keyblade back in his hand.

Only it wasn't the Keyblade he had used before. It was the Kingdom Key D.

He stared at it and got up slowly, then looked at the Remnants. They were getting up, but Light was slowly leaking out of the Remnants. They rushed at him, but the Kingdom Key D seemed to sharpen his senses, and though he was still afraid, his muscles moved fluidly. He parried one of the strikes and stepped back to avoid the other two. They were slower and didn't move with as much precision.

He quickly ran to the side and slashed at the gauntlet of one of the Remnants. The Light faded where he struck and the arm fell limply, as if it was paralyzed. Max didn't think clearly, he acted on instinct and slashed at the breastplate. It didn't leave a mark, but the Light faded and the Remnant fell to the ground as lifeless chunks of armour.

The other two Remnants rushed at him, but they were blown away by Sora, who had run back up to the top of the building and fired Ragnarok at them again. Their armour cracked, and this time it didn't repair itself. They staggered backwards, making it easy for Sora to come and finish them off. Kairi ran up the building to where Sora was standing, and was amazed to see the Remnants defeated. "How did you…" Her voice trailed off, but she turned as Lea and Eraqus came running into view.

"Where is he?" Lea yelled. He jumped onto the roof and looked at Max. Eraqus arrived moments later and asked, "How did you defeat the Remnants?"

Max flexed his hand, and the Kingdom Key D appeared in his outstretched palm. "I don't know how I did it. I just…" He waved it vaguely.

Lea interrupted, saying, "Look, we still have nine Remnants on our trail. We have to find Terra and the others. They have Marek with them and we can get out of here."

"That looks like a lot more than nine." Max said shakily, pointing behind Lea. He was right. Their numbers had more than tripled, and they were closing in quickly. Lea quickly knelt down, gesturing for Max to get on. Groaning in resignation, Max jumped on Lea's back and they started running again.


	20. Part 2, Chapter 10

Lea wanted to kick something in frustration and confusion as Eraqus, Sora, and Kairi ran alongside him. He knew that there were only nine after them, and hadn't sensed them being joined by anyone else. Where had an additional twenty come from. He looked back and saw that some of the Remnants were moving in uncanny unison. He supposed there were perks to being possessed by a Divine Being. It was strange, though, because only the extra twenty were moving in synchronization. The other nine were running as individuals, not caring about the others behind and beside them.

Then Lea saw who was leading the charge and he froze. It all made sense now. He had been a master of illusions in his earlier life.

"They're illusions!" He yelled to the rest of the party. "The ones leaping in unison are illusions. There are only ten real ones!"

Ten real ones, not nine. The nine Remnants he and Eraqus had left behind had been joined by one more. Griffin ran at the head of the Remnants, casting illusions of other Remnants around him. Light just sent him here to taunt him, to revel in his weakness. Lea wouldn't have believed a Remnant could lose control, but he roared and ran at the Remnants, cursing Light for every one of its stupid tricks.

He flew towards the Remnants and they came to meet him. In the back of his mind, he felt Max holding on to him, but he didn't care, and unleashed the strongest wave of fire he could. The most of the Remnants jumped over or jumped back, but two were caught in the wave of fire. The illusions caused by Griffin disappeared as he summoned his Keyblade, Call of the Wild and flew at Lea. Undeterred, Lea swung at him again, flinging Max off him. They exchanged a few blows, then Griffin had to back up because Sora, Kairi and Eraqus quickly joined them.

"How did you kill two of them?" Sora yelled, as his Keyblade proved as ineffective as ever. Lea wondered what Sora had meant, but looked around the Remnants and saw that two lay in metal scraps on the edge of the roof. What had Max done?

His thoughts were interrupted as Griffin's Remnant flexed his hand and his Keyblade transformed into a phoenix that blazed with brilliant fire. Even though none of them had eyes, they all shielded their helms out of habit. The phoenix blew back hot air with a flap of its wings, and soared towards Eraqus. He jumped back, firing off lasers at the phoenix, but they all passed through the white flames. Its wings grew in length, and encompassed all of the Remnants in a circle of fire. Lea didn't have time to appreciate the irony as he tried to run over to Max, but drew back quickly because of the fire. Turning, he saw Griffin's Remnant inside, along with four other Remnants in front of him. He turned and tried to dash through the fire, but he had to draw back as his armour started to melt beneath the heat. Growling, he turned towards Light and yelled, "Let go of my son!"

_"Does my form upset you?"_ Light asked, _"How human. You should be honoured I chose him to be one of my vessels. Instead, you yell at me to release him."_

"He didn't choose to be your vessel." Lea spat, "You didn't give any of the Remnants a choice. Where the hell is the honour in that?"

_"Mortals cannot comprehend the mysteries that are Divine Beings. Our actions are not for you to understand."_

Glaring at Light, he started running with his Keyblade outstretched. Sora, Kairi and Eraqus behind him. Damn Light for using his son. He thought he could use the memory of Griffin as a shield. Lea knew Griffin was dead. Dead and gone. All of Light's games just fueled his flames and made him more deadly. He leapt over the Remnants while his companions dealt with the other Remnants. Griffin's Remnant thrust his hand out, and fire from the phoenix circled around his outstretched arm. He sidestepped Lea's downward swing and threw a punch fueled by the fire. Lea staggered back with cracks in his armour, and Griffin's Remnant followed up with a series of roundhouse kicks. Lea ducked and tried to catch the whirling legs, but the force of the kick blew his hand back and scorched it in the white ring of fire.

_"I see Griffin had a caring father."_ Light sneered, _"A father that did nothing but rush to kill his son the moment I brought him back to life."_

"You didn't bring him back to life" Lea growled, "You made us bring his spirit to linger in that graveyard then violated his memory by wearing his armour and walking around preaching about the greater fucking good."

Light didn't say anything, but Griffin's Remnant froze, then let the flames die down.

The four Remnants Sora, Kairi and Eraqus had been holding off suddenly dashed to the right. Outside, Max stood there looking bewildered, surrounded by piles of armour. The Kingdom Key D shook slightly in his hand, and the four Remnants that had been meant to kill him stood frozen, then collapsed to the ground. The remaining Lightsworn gathered around Griffin's Remnant and growled, then disappeared in a burst of Light. Lea looked at Max, then at the others. "We need to find the others."

Sora nodded and said "What about Mr. H?"

Lea and Eraqus looked at them in bewilderment, and Sora and Kairi told them about the mysterious fallen angel. When they were done, Lea asked, "How do we know he's not one of Darkness or Corruption's vessel?"

"What?" Kairi asked incredulously, "Why would you think that?"

"Well, Max hasn't heard of any fallen angels, and he just happens to be in this spot at this time." Lea said, "It all seems a little suspicious to me."

"He was here because he sensed Light and Darkness' approach." Kairi said, "And he could sense them because he's a fallen angel."

"We can't prove this, though." Eraqus said. "Well, he helped us and that's what matters. He told you that your Kingdom Key is in the hand of your descendent?"

Sora nodded. "You think the Divine Beings are after him too?"

"Yes." Eraqus said, "The Kingdom Key is of the Light and seals the Darkness, while the Kingdom Key D is of the Darkness and seals the Light. Darkness must want the Kingdom Key D as a weapon against Light, whereas Light simply wants Max to be killed so he cannot be used against it."

They nodded in understanding and looked at Max in unison. He stepped back involuntarily and asked, "What are you talking about?"

They looked at each other, and Eraqus said, "We don't have time for this. We need to find Terra, Ven and Aqua."

They murmured in agreement and Lea knelt down in front of Max and said, "Look. We'll explain everything to you once we find the rest of our friends. You have to trust us from now on."

"Should I?" Max asked, looking up at Lea with his blue eyes. Lea would have smiled if he had a face. "I can't tell you what to do. No one should. I can just give advice, and right now I'm advising you to trust us."

Max thought for a bit, then nodded. Lea turned and beckoned for Max to get on, but Kairi stopped them. "We need to leave here as soon as possible. We won't be able to hold off Light and Darkness."

"We can't just leave the others." Eraqus said, "The Lightsworn can't be defeated without Max."

"We also need to find the Kingdom Key." Sora said. "If what Mr. H said was right, it'll be in the hands of one of our descendants."

"How are we going to find them?" Lea asked, "Your line will have been spread out all over the place."

"They'll be Keyblade Wielders." Kairi said, "We could start there."

"We still can't leave Terra and the others behind." Eraqus said. "They don't stand a chance against the Divine Beings."

"We also need to find those descendants." Lea said. "We're in a race between the Divine Beings, and we have to act now."

"These descendants are Keyblade Wielders?" Max asked quietly. The others turned to him, and he stepped back involuntarily. "I mean, Radiant Garden has records of the Keyblade Wielders. We could go there."

Eraqus thought for a moment, then nodded. "Alright. Sora, go to Terra and the others and tell them to go to Radiant Garden. Marek can get anywhere with those Portals of Darkness. The rest of us will go to Radiant Garden."

Kairi started to protest, but Eraqus cut her off. "We need you to protect Max as well. Radiant Garden is full of Corruption, and if Light and Darkness want Max, Corruption will too."

"Yeah, don't worry about me," Sora said, "I'll be fine." He shuddered for a moment, then Roxas spoke up. "Right. I'll make sure Sora doesn't run into too many walls along the way."

Kairi chuckled, then nodded. Sora started running towards Terra and the others, while Eraqus started to make a Portal to Radiant Garden. Lea looked at Max, and realized he didn't know anything about the Divine Beings, or who they were. What did Max think was going on? Max was still looking at the floor, but Lea saw his shoulders weren't as tense as they had been. It was impossible to relax in a situation like this, but it was a good sign.

* * *

"So, you tried to find us, and ended up getting beaten by Xehanort in the process." Ven couldn't resist poking fun at Marek as they ran towards Xehanort.

Marek didn't look at Ven, but he said, "You just got lucky because you were sentimental. What were you planning to do, visit the graves of everyone you knew? You probably would have gone to Baron to visit Kain's grave if you hadn't stumbled upon Darkness."

"Hey, we would have done fine, even if we hadn't run into Xehanort."

Aqua sighed and said, "We don't have bodies, so why does it seem you two still have so much testosterone running through that empty space in your armour?"

They all radiated amusement at that, and they continued running. After a bit, Terra asked, "Why are we going after Xehanort again? I thought we couldn't beat him."

"Since when were you such a defeatist?" Marek asked, "If we break this vessel, it'll be too much for Darkness to hold together. How many times have we beaten that old man? Besides, Xehanort wants something here. I felt it while I was battling him. He wanted to come here instead of stay in the Realm of Darkness where he'd be unstoppable. We have to find what it is and stop him from getting it."

They kept on running. By now, the buildings had gotten closer together, and they didn't rise up as high as they did in the center. The streets were much narrower and the buildings only rose ten stories or so. It made sense that Xehanort would make his rendezvous point on the outskirts.

"Xehanort said you'd been fighting for days." Ven said, "but it's only been a couple since we left the Keyblade Graveyard. Did he find you immediately?"

Marek shook his head. "No, we rested on the Dark Meridian for one day before moving out. Time moves slower the closer you get to the Realm of Darkness. The Land of Departure is in the Realm Between, but still further away from the Realm of Darkness than where we rested and where Xehanort and I fought."

"Where did the others go?" Terra asked. "We waited for you in the Land of Departure."

"The rest went on to Radiant Garden." Marek said, "It's probably only been several hours from them. Radiant Garden isn't exactly that far into the Realm of Light. Who knows what they're doing now."

Suddenly, they felt the air rumble as Light descended into the center of the city. Marek swore and said, "Looks like Light wants whatever Darkness does. Let's hope we can find it before either of them do."

They nodded and kept on running through the streets that twisted about confusingly. Terra was about to say something when four Invisibles sprang out of the air and flew towards them. Marek snorted in disgust and leapt towards one. "Xehanort wants to slow us down. He or Darkness is getting close and he doesn't want us to interfere."

Terra glowed with yellow Light and started attacking one. The others did the same, and Marek said, "There are people living in these buildings, so no flashy attacks." He looked at Terra. "So no conjuring rocks from the sky or firing off that oversized gun of yours."

Terra was occupied dodging the strikes from the huge swords the Invisibles wielded, but he radiated as much irritation as he could in Marek's direction. Judging from Marek's amusement, he had felt it.

Ven and Aqua had thrown both of their Keyblades into a Wind Raid, and they flew quickly, slicing through all the Invisibles multiple times. The Invisibles disappeared, leaving their swords to fly about in response to the airborn Keyblades they dodged the blades easily, and struck when the Invisibles reappeared. They all dissolved into Darkness and Marek started moving again.

The buildings started losing their consistency and uniformity, being replaced by huts made out of what looked like scrap steel. They were all different colours, and had gaps between the walls and ceiling. The streets were much narrower too, and they had to run in single file if they didn't want to destroy the huts.

Marek slowed to a walk and moved more cautiously. Quietly he said, "Xehanort's stopped. I think he's waiting for something."

"Maybe Eraqus or the others found whatever Xehanort was looking for and took it." Terra said. "What is he looking for, anyways?"

_"Something to help Darkness win the fight against Light."_ All four of them whirled around and saw Xehanort standing in front of them. They growled in anger, and Terra asked, "So what is this weapon?"

_"The Kingdom Key D."_ Xehanort said. _"It has resurfaced in the hands of Mickey's descendent, and now it shall be used for what it was created for: to seal the Light."_

Marek laughed. "Package it however you want. Seems to me you can't beat Light on your own, so you go running to the descendents of Mickey, of all people, for help."

Xehanort summoned his thick, broad Keyblade and said, _"Watch your tongue, Remnants. I hold the lives of every person who dwells here. I could kill them all with a twitch of my hand."_

The other four glared at him, but took a step back. Marek opened his mouth to say something, but suddenly seven Lightsworn landed on the roofs next to them. They buckled and shifted, and people yelled out abuse at them. They came out, but when they saw he was addressing Keyblade Masters, they quickly moved back into their huts.

_"Darkness. How fitting we should meet here in this pile of poverty. The resentment and apathy suits you well, doesn't it_._" _The Remnants all growled in fury as they saw Ava at the spearhead. Her pink armour glowed in the dim lighting of the oil lamps, and the air seemed to shimmer around her.

Xehanort turned to respond, and turned his Keyblade towards the Lightsworn. _"You are here for the same object, but you will find the tools you sent to retrieve it useless."_

And with that, he fired off a dark volley towards the Remnants. The Remnants jumped, but the houses they were standing on had huge holes rendered through them.

"Stop!" Terra yelled, "They're innocent!"

_"Their thoughts are rife with bitterness and envy."_ Light said, _"Their deaths would be inevitable in the purges that would follow."_

"You bastard!" Terra yelled, "You don't have any right to kill them!"

_"I am Light. It is in my nature to kill Darkness. Their deaths were inevitable."_

Terra jumped up and yelled, "Dark Impulse!" Darkness surrounded him and he attacked the Lightsworn with fast yet powerful strokes. Ven ran towards Xehanort and yelled, "Salvation!" Light burst around him, scorching the shacks next to them in the process.

_"You preach about sparing innocents, yet you kill them as you fight."_ Darkness laughed. _"Strife and conflict are the way of the world. It is inevitable."_

Marek jumped up and swung his blade, shooting shockwaves out of his Keyblade as he did so. "Just shut up. I control my own fate and no one else. I choose what's inevitable and what's not, so just go back to Kingdom Hearts and fight Darkness over there."

Xehanort had jumped back to avoid the barrage of Light sent his way by Ven, and now jumped over to where the Remnants were, sending Dark Lightning raining down on the Remnants. They staggered as Lightning coursed through the armour, but they jumped up to meet Xehanort. Things couldn't be said for the residents, though, and Terra's heart clenched as he heard people scream in agony, and the metal roofs grinding to the floor as their meager homes were destroyed.

"Stop!" He yelled out, but neither Darkness nor Light listened as they continued fighting. Terra and the rest ran after them, following the wake of destruction and pain the Divine Beings left in their violent wake.

Xehanort and the Remnants were fighting a few metres above the ground, and a vortex of Light and Darkness surrounded them. Sometimes, tendrils of Darkness or Light would lash out, resulting in an explosion and screams. The fragile huts would get torn asunder as energy ripped through to the ground, striking the residents along the way. Terra and the others couldn't do anything but watch the destruction as they tried to limit the damage.

Aqua sent out reflega barriers when she could, and Terra and Marek tried blocking the attacks with their Keyblades. Ven sped around on the ground healing the injured who hadn't been killed in the explosions, and he was saddened by the pure terror in their eyes. Spread out on the ground, their belongings seemed even meager than he had expected, and Ven felt an irrational sense of anger towards the people living in the luxurious buildings in the center of the city. He knew it wasn't their fault these people were living like this, but the injustice of it all and his helplessness against the Divine Beings galled him, and he wanted something to take it out on.

They didn't know how long it went for. They lost track of time was they darted around on the ground blocking the beams and waves of Darkness and Light. Ven started to grow weary constantly casting Cura's, and wondered if Darkness and Light had a limit to its power. There came a point where the shanty towns were replaced by crude buildings that rose a few stories high. He jumped on top and looked around for Darkness and Light. They weren't hard to find. They were still locked in combat, around fifty metres away in the sky. Windows and doors were boarded up, but he could see frightened eyes peering out into the maelstrom of Light and Darkness, locked in an eternal combat that had taken place for aeons. He wanted to go running up there and kill both of them. He wanted to kill them for just killing humans like they didn't matter, for killing them because it was 'inevitable'. He ran up to the nearest building, but was suddenly knocked aside by Marek. He whirled around to glare at him, but Marek had jumped up to pull back both Aqua and Terra.

"Are you guys idiots!?" he yelled, "We're all spent blocking the damage their fights caused, and healing up the casualties. You can't just jump in there."

"What happened to all that talk about doing what you wanted to?" Terra yelled back, "You're just a weak coward who-"

Marek walked up to him and said in a low voice, "Did you think that this sort of thing didn't exist a thousand years ago? Did you think that every time we destroyed a building destroying Heartless, we didn't ruin the lives of people? When you helped High King Peter and Caspian win their war, did you think that animals didn't die? Did you think that just because you won, everyone you cared about could just prance away into the sunset? Grow up. We need to gather in Light first before we can do anything. We're all depleted as it is."

Terra glared back at Marek, then kicked the roof in frustration. Cracks appeared in the spot where he had left his foot, and he looked away in embarrassment. They quickly started gathering in Light, but suddenly another voice called out to them. "Hey! We have to get out of here."

It was Sora. They leapt from the other rooftops and landed in front of them. "Guys, we have to get out of here. We're going to Radiant Garden, there's some stuff we need to look up."

"We can't just let Xehanort and Light fight." Terra said, gesturing towards the battle that was taking place.

"We found what they're fighting for." Sora hissed. "Eraqus made a portal there already. Marek, make a portal of Darkness to Radiant Garden quickly."

"Wait," Ven said, "Didn't Marek get ambushed there? Can we use the Corridors of Darkness now that we're fighting against Darkness itself?"

"I think it's a little preoccupied for now." Marek said, "Besides, I was only attacked after spending time jumping around the Realm of Darkness. We're making a direct trip."

He flexed his hand and a portal appeared. "Let's go. He stepped through, and Sora quickly followed him.

Terra supposed it was a victory. They had gotten something Darkness and Light both wanted, and they had stumbled upon it by accident. Still, he looked back at the slums and saw the path of destruction the two Divine Beings had wrecked. He looked up where the two of them were still fighting, not caring for humans; beings they considered inconsequential.

"We'll be back." Terra promised. Ven and Aqua nodded, and Terra continued. "We'll defeat Light, Darkness and Corruption. We'll show them they were wrong to underestimate us. We'll show them that just because they're Gods, they can't just waltz around this place like they own it. We'll make them regret ever coming here." And with that parting note, he walked into the Portal of Darkness, followed closely by Ven and Aqua.

* * *

RADIANT GARDEN

Kairi looked around as she, Eraqus, Lea and Max emerged from the Portal of Darkness. She was glad they hadn't been attacked by Vanitas. She wondered why he wasn't with Xehanort. She was saddened that Sora couldn't come with them, but he was the fastest available, so it made sense that he deliver the message to Terra and the rest.

So far, she was disappointed in what had become of her homeworld. Max led them through what looked like a huge building, with metal corridors and doors that were adorned with runes of Light. She wondered if Radiant Garden had expanded like Traverse Town had, with buildings covering the beautiful landscape around it. Max quickly opened the door to the stairs and said, "We're going down to the 17th floor. That's where all the records will be, including a list of all the Keyblade Apprentices, Journeymen and Masters."

They started to run down the stairs, and Max confirmed that he had committed Sora's last name to memory. "I'll go and look by myself. All the Masters and Journeymen are still on alert, and if they see you standing around looking through the archives, you'll get picked out instantly."

"Are you sure that's safe?" Lea asked. Max let out a burst of bitter laughter and said, "You've got me caught up in an unholy shitstorm I still don't understand, and you're asking me if what I'm doing is safe?"

He had a good point, and no one could disagree with him. Lea muttered a little, but didn't push the point. They had been running all the time Max had been talking, and Kairi was amazed that they had only descended 4 floors. "How tall is this building?" Kairi asked.

Max looked at her in puzzlement and asked, "What building?"

Kairi didn't know what Max was talking about, and said "We are in a building, aren't we?"

Max laughed again and said, "This is Radiant Garden, so yeah, I guess you could call Radiant Garden a building." He chuckled and continued, "You'd think you'd been in hibernation for centuries. Did you hit your head, or something?"

None of them said anything, and Max looked at them funnily. After running a bit more in silence, they reached the 17th floor, and Max gestured for them to stay while he slowed to a walk as he entered the archives.

They waited for him nervously, Lea especially on edge. They would occasionally hear the sound of footsteps running, over voices shouting. Every time they heard something, they would all stiffen and hope that Max hadn't been discovered. As they waited, they wondered why Marek hadn't met up with them yet. Was he having problems finding them? Had he been attacked by Darkness or another Divine Being? It was nerve-wracking on them all, and when Max came back twenty minutes later, they all felt they had been waiting hours.

"Well?" Lea asked, "Were you followed? Are you alright?"

Max rolled his eyes and said, "Course I'm fine. Do I look like I was followed. Now let's get out of here."

Eraqus nodded, and tried to summon a Portal of Light, but nothing happened. Max swore viciously and said, "They've gone into lockdown. Nothing can get out of this world, whether it be by Light or Darkness." He kicked the stair in frustration, and continued, "There's a Portal Room on the 11th floor. We'll have to run there."

"Will that be open?" Eraqus asked. "If nothing can get out, then won't the Portals be closed?"

"Only Keyblade Wielders can operate the Portals," Max replied, "So the security around that is more lax. It depends on how serious the lockdown is. I could get out using the Portals, but I don't know how much the situation has escalated."

They continued to run down, and Max was getting dizzy from running down the circular stairway. Kairi wondered how the world looked from above, and imagined something like the world of metal that had been so popular in the science-fiction books she had read.

"Why is this place in a lockdown, anyways?" Lea asked, "Did something happen?"

"Yeah." Max panted, "Someone tried to attack the Grandmasters. Judging by the clocks I saw, it was four hours ago."

"Did they say who?" Kairi asked eagerly. "Was it people like us?"

"Are you going against the Grandmasters!?" Max asked in incredulity. He almost fell down the stairs in shock. "Who the hell do you think you guys are?"

"We can explain later." Lea said. "I promise we'll give you answers later."

Max scowled. "You guys are all completely insane." He sighed and said, "I guess that makes me even more insane than any of you."

Lea didn't say anything, and they continued running downwards. There was one time where they saw another Journeyman run up the stairs, and they had all feared being stopped; but their sense of urgency and the speed at which they carried themselves was enough to convince the Journeyman that they had somewhere important to be, and he let them go without protest.

By the time they got down to the 11th floor, Max was out of breath, and couldn't move as quickly. He waved away Lea's offers for help, and kept on running towards the Portal Room. The Remnants could sense him clumsily infusing Light into his body to maintain his speed, but they didn't try to stop him as they ran.

When they got there, the Portals were working. Max's attention, however, was diverted by another Master in the Portal Room. "What are you doing here?" He asked Max.

Max panted and said, "Highmaster Valetha wanted these Masters to be restationed at Twilight Town. She says that the enemy is nowhere to be found in Radiant Garden, and we have to notify the other Masters stationed there."

The Master was still new, and didn't want to risk disobeying a Highmaster. Besides, it was considered a great offence to lie about a Highmaster and it didn't even occur to the Master that a mere apprentice could be lying.

Max quickly manipulated the nearest Portal, and walked through it with the other Remnants quickly following him.

They hit the ground in Twilight Town running, and Eraqus didn't waste any time in making a Portal to the Lanes Between. They started to run through it, but Max said, "No! We need to be here."

He led the group out into a huge city, but none of them stopped to admire it. He ran out into the huge street and waved his Keyblade out. It was his standard one, not the Kingdom Key D. Almost immediately, a car stopped and they all got in. "Bring us to sunset station." Max panted. "The Keyblade Masters will reimburse you."

The driver nodded and flew away, and they were at the station in five minutes. Max gave the name "Ventus Ashworth" to the driver, and he ran into the station, quickly followed by the three Remnants. They got the same special treatment for the train, but this time they didn't stay for the whole journey. They sat on their seats tensely for fifteen minutes, then went out the carriage and jumped out. They all broke their fall and Max quickly ran to the nearby forest. He was using Light crudely again, but he was still flagging. After some minutes of running, he sat down against a tree, exhausted.

"We are never doing that again." Max said heavily. Lea nodded his agreement, still standing there. They weren't able to feel physical pain, but they felt mental and emotional stress just as keenly as they did when they had bodies.

"Wait, so did you find our descendent?" Kairi asked eagerly. Max shook his head, and Kairi hung her head sadly.

"But," Max continued, "I did check the histories. Someone also accessed the current records of the Keyblade Wielders and the ancestral records. Whoever did it spent far more time than I did, but I just jumped to the result." He paused, partly to catch his breath and partly for dramatic effect. "Whoever searched the archives found what he was looking for in a first year apprentice stationed in Twilight Town called Lydia Anwar, a fourth year apprentice on family leave in the Destiny Islands called Seth Highwind, and a Journeyman on active duty in Baron called Frost Rikkison."

* * *

**Wow, this was a long chapter. (by my standards) I meant to find a cut-off for this chapter and split it in two, but the first part with Griffin and the last part in Radiant Garden were too short to go by themselves, so I just put it into one chapter. Yeah, I know I said I'd be getting one out every four days... I think we've just seen how stuff really changes. Let's just say that it'll come out when it comes out and leave it at that. Schedules...just don't work.**

**Also, I'm probably going to stop finding music to put in, since it's not vital to the storyline, and I'm just too indecisive and I just took so much time deliberating on which music to put in. **

**I'm starting to regret bringing back Pierce, Ava and Griffin. Ava especially, since a lot of her character was built next to Pierce, so it's hard to write her character or actions or construct any drama with her. Oh well, it's not that big of a hindrance. **

**For those who don't know, Jack and Sora are cousins, which is why the Kingdom Key pops up in the Rikkison line. Highwind is just a common name. Maybe one of the female descendants married someone with the Highwind name. I'm not going to go into that, so think what you will. And Lydia Anwar was just a random name as well. I couldn't think of something fitting, since surnames like Skyborn, or Sorason just seemed a little weird.**

**I've inserted some swearing in here, something I didn't with Raphael. I mainly did it to emphasize Lea's pissed-off-ness, and Max's character. I'll probably be adding in more swearing in the next world as well, but that'll be due to conforming to the world. I don't have anything against swearing in stories, but I like to make it scarce so it has more impact than usual.**

**That's the end of that party for now. I'm getting more and more groups as we go along. The next few chapters will be focused on the Rikkisons and Raphael. Well, they've split up briefly as well. It's going to be another week or so before the next chapter, since I need a little time to get my thoughts sorted and stuff.**

**'Till next time!**


	21. Part 2, Chapter 11

Rayne crept along what looked like a sewer slightly behind Jack and Mist, and all of them were grateful they didn't have noses anymore. Rayne wondered if Vanitas had sent them here as a joke, but since they hadn't walked into a deathtrap, she supposed he wouldn't go to the trouble of playing a simple prank. Jack hadn't called Wanderer's Judgement to his hand, but Mist had reverted her Keyblade to its gauntleted form, which she was more comfortable with. The gauntlets didn't give off light, but they reflected the dull lights that flickered above them, and it seemed to glow dimly all by itself. Behind them, Rayne looked back periodically to make sure they weren't being followed.

"I'm sensing Light up ahead." Jack told them, "but its different than usual, like there's something else there." He looked back and gestured towards the left wall. "It's in that direction."

Rayne nodded, and they started walking quickly through the sewers. She remembered all of her memories clearly; far more clearly than the day she died. Did she have a memory of a young woman as well as the Heart of one?

All of a sudden, a huge metal shape crashed down from above. It was about three metres tall with a humanoid shape, but with long limbs attached making it look like an ape. Was this one of the Lightsworn Vanitas had talked about? But what kind of Keyblade Armour was this? Rayne couldn't sense anything coming from it. To all intents and purposes, it should have been a dead hunk of metal. Only it wasn't.

It swung its fist towards Jack, who sidestepped and slashed at its arm. A gouge was traced through the metal, but it didn't sever. Mist infused her gauntlet with lightning and punched the metal foe in its stomach, making it stumble back. Its limbs spasmed wildly, almost catching Jack again, then steadied themselves. Rayne jumped, using a small anti-gravity spell to lighten her, and used Equilibrium to strike at its head. It swerved, avoiding a fatal blow, but Equilibrium still shaved off a chunk of the head.

Landing behind the hunk of metal, Rayne was astonished to see wires protruding out of the hole, and sparks of electricity jumping between the two ends. "They're machines." She yelled, and fired off a Thundara spell at the hole. Her aim was good, and the circuits got fried instantly. With a crash, the cyborg fell to the ground, drenching the three of them in sewage water at the same time.

"The cyborg's revenge, I guess" Jack said. "Hey, Mist. Do you have a spell to wash this..." He trailed off. Mist shook her head in exasperation. "First of all, no. Second of all, it's not like you can get a disease with this stuff."

"I could get flooded down." Jack said. "If too much sewage water gets in here I might get bogged down and not be able to move in this stink."

"I think I'm getting bogged down with something that stinks." Mist muttered good naturedly.

Rayne groaned, "Do you have to flirt in front of me? I know you haven't seen each other for a thousand years, but still."

Jack laughed, and continued walking on. As they did, they stopped needing Jack's ability to track Light. There was as trail of destroyed cyborgs that corresponded exactly to where Light's vessel was headed. The cyborgs were sliced into bits, and their circuits sparked in the water. It occurred to the three of them that if they had been actual people, they would have been electrocuted many times over.

"Well, doesn't look as if Light's vessel is peaceful." Mist muttered, "so much for trying to talk to him."

They found a hole in the wall that had obviously been sliced by Light's vessel. Walking in they were in a dark room surrounded by metal, and saw even more cyborg remains, with the electricity still sparking. Rayne wondered if the vessel chopped up the cyborgs while they were dead, because she didn't see how one cyborg could be so cleanly cut into so many parts. She swore she could pick out parts of the same arm scattered over five metres. Ahead, they could hear a male's voice talking. Creeping forward, they peered around a corner and saw a tall man in grey armour with silver hair. He was holding a hand to his ear, and was talking to someone on an earpiece.

"Alright, let's give it a shot." He was saying. He took his hand away from his ear and started running forward.

The three of them followed him as he emerged onto a metal gantry and jumped down, slashing at another patrolling cyborg. Suddenly, three more huge cyborgs burst out of glass cages and bore down on Light's vessel. Jack went to jump down and help him, but stopped as he saw that Light's vessel didn't need any help. At first he had to make sure none of Light's power was being channelled, because its vessel moved amazingly fast for a mere human. Blue electricity sparked from his long katana as he danced about as quick as the lightning sparking out of his feet. He didn't just use the sword to slice things; his sword was just one of his limbs, and he used all four to quickly destroy the three cyborgs. In terms of technique, he was above any of them. His legs would lash out midair while his arms propelled him above the cyborgs. Rayne had wondered how the cyborgs had been cut into so many parts, and saw it being done in front of her. One cyborg had the left side of its chest sliced into eight pieces, its fingers still twitching spasmodically as it fell on the ground.

"Damn," Jack whispered, "Light's got itself one hell of a vessel."

Apparently the vessel had more than just excellent fighting skills. He heard Jack and whirled towards the gantry where the three of them were standing on. "Well? Aren't you supposed to be killing intruders?" He asked.

"I think you've done enough killing." Jack said, and jumped down onto the ground. "These cyborgs are part human as well, aren't they. They're powered by human brains. I think you're the killer here."

Light's vessel pointed his sword at them and said "I kill to protect. What about you?"

"I think," Jack said, "It depends on who you kill and who you protect."

"And who have you killed, and who do you protect?" Light's vessel returned. His arm didn't waver, and he glared hostilely at the three of them. Rayne was shocked to see he only had one eye. Much of his face was covered in black, metal plating.

She jumped down as well with Equillibrium still in her hand and said, "We protect our friends and family, and kill those who threaten them." Jack held out a hand and she stopped and continued "And what about you? I can see who you kill, who are you protecting here?"

"These people chose to do this." Light's vessel said. "I kill to protect those who can't protect themselves."

"So how are killing all these cyborgs protecting people?" Rayne interjected, "Seems to me you're just choosing who to kill and who not to."

He was about to reply when we heard a voice on his earpiece came on "Raiden! What are you doing? Hurry up and complete your mission!"

Raiden ignored it and replied "I protect those who can't protect themselves. These cyborgs harm innocent kids." He threw open the door and at first no one comprehended what they were. The room was full of shelves that reached the ceiling, and all the shelves were packed with cylinders containing green fluid. Rayne looked closer and saw that there was something in it, and she jerked her head back when she realized that it was alive. The shape was ovular, with two eyes moving freely. Mist asked in a subdued voice, "Are those... brains?"

Raiden nodded. "Brains of kids that are harvested. They undergo VR training and get turned into trained killers." He slammed the door and walked to the door. "This is what I'm fighting for. Those children are the ones I'm fighting to protect." He opened it and when he looked back at them, they realized with a jolt that his eye was glowing red. "I don't know who the hell you are, or who the hell made you guys, but if you stop me from saving the kids, I'll kill you to protect them." And with that, he slammed the door behind him.

The three Rikkisons stood there for a moment. Rayne spoke up "Well, that went well. What was the plan, again?"

Jack sighed. "Yeah, we should really have one of those before we go rushing in." He turned to Mist. "Any ideas?"

"Now we go for a plan." She muttered. "Well, what do we want? Do we want to chase Light out of Raiden, because that's going to be difficult without another divine being."

"The way Raiden talked, though." Jack said "It sounded a lot like Light but I didn't sense him rise to the surface."

"Remember what Vanitas said?" Mist said, "Light seeks out a vessel that thinks like it does. That way, it can channel more of its power. If we could get Raiden to see differently, Light might not be as compatible with him and might leave."

"If we killed Raiden, what would happen?" Rayne asked, "We can't kill Light, but we could kill the vessel."

"Light would be forced out and it would have to find another vessel," Jack said, "but I don't think it could find one as compatible with it as Raiden." He shook his head. "All this is pointless. We aren't killing Raiden. It wouldn't solve anything."

They all nodded, but Rayne asked, "So what do we do? People don't change easily. What if that doesn't work."

Jack shrugged. "We can't think of everything. We'll see when we get there."

"So," Mist said, amused. "We're going back to improvising." She exuded exasperation but also amusement. "Well, Raiden went that way."

Rayne followed them, looking back at the room filled with brains. She couldn't count how many there were, but could guess that they numbered in the hundreds. How many children had lived in her region of the Destiny Islands? Definitely less than a thousand. She shook off the morbid thoughts and made to go in the direction Raiden had disappeared in, but more cyborgs burst out of the doors; humanoid ones as well as large bipedal cyborgs with guns mounted on its head. Jack groaned, then summoned Wanderer's Judgement to his hand. Mist and Rayne darted ahead, casting Gravity on the cyborgs and Anti-Gravity on themselves. The result was that they could move with much more mobility than their opponents.

Seeing his family jump on top of the larger cyborgs, Jack turned to the more numerous humanoid ones and cut through them. They were faster and stronger than normal humans, but Jack could still infuse himself with Light, making him even faster. He parried the various swords and swept through them all. To their credit, they didn't flinch or step back when they saw their comrades fall, instead regrouping into a tighter formation. Unfazed, Jack jumped up and cast Thundaga Shot towards the group, taking advantage of their tight formation. Their skin was more permeable than the other cyborg's metal plating, and they fell to the ground spasming as lightning coursed through their circuits.

Turning, he saw that Rayne and Mist had finished up as well. Both of them had an orb glowing on the backs of their gauntlets, reminiscent of the magical gauntlet passed down from mother to daughter. The gauntlet on Mist's left hand was larger and more ornate, as it was also the manifestation of her Keyblade. She looked and saw Jack was done, then headed towards the door where Raiden had walked through. They saw another door with bits of steel at the bottom, and went through it.

Rayne was fascinated by this world, even though she hadn't even seen what was above ground. She looked curiously at a black ball, fiddling with it and wondering what it did. Her question was answered as it suddenly sprang to life into a three legged ball that grabbed onto her helm. She quickly pulled it off and fried its circuits, but accidentally bumped into the shelf sending another half dozen of the cyborgs rolling around.

"Oops." She muttered, as Mist and Jack started casting weak thunder spells to deactivate them all. It only took a couple of minutes, but those things kept on sticking onto their faces or arms. When they were done, and had littered the floor with dozens of the small cyborgs (they had knocked down the whole shelf while trying to kill them all), Mist turned to Rayne.

She stepped back involuntarily and said "Um, sorry." Mist stepped forward, but stopped. She was angry but it was more at the whole suddenness of the whole thing. Rayne remembered how mad Mist had gotten whenever she did something wrong when she was twelve. Looking back, she realized most of Mist's anger came from confusion of not knowing what to do. She supposed it was natural that Mist regain a bit of a temper now that she had the Heart of a twenty year old.

Jack laid a hand on Mist's shoulder and she calmed down. The three of them continued down a corridor and crept through a huge metal room with crates. They needn't have bothered with stealth. There were even more cyborgs littered around the floor, and even some slammed into the crates. It was obvious where Raiden had went. As they proceeded, they heard explosions and they ran towards the sound. They emerged into a room with a corridor leading to another adjoining room. The first room had black scorch marks all over it, and when they ran into the corridor they saw Raiden fighting a large cyborg. It had cannons on its back, and kicked out with its feet as it moved about agilely.

Raiden was somehow able to parry the cyborg's legs, making it stumble back. In that instant, he jumped through the cyborg's legs, slicing right through its belly. His sword glowed blue as the injured cyborg moved back, firing its canons at Raiden. He jumped over them, landing next to the cyborg's foot, which lashed out at him. He sliced through that as well, making the cyborg fall on its side, then sliced it into bits with a sword that moved blindingly fast. He jumped away as it exploded and turned to where Rayne and the rest were hiding. "Come out now," he said, "Or I'll kill you."

Rayne stepped out cautiously, dismissing Equilibrium as she did so. Jack and Mist followed, but with more reservations. Raiden had lowered his blade slightly when he saw who it was. "Oh, it's you three."

He was about to say something when his radio sounded, and someone started speaking. "Raiden, I knew I'd seen that guy before!" Raiden looked annoyed at the distraction, but his trained eyes didn't waver from the Rikkisons. "Steven Armstrong, as in Colorado Senator Steven Armstrong."

"Kevin," Raiden said, "This isn't really a good time. Is Doktor there?"

"Uh, yeah. Hold on, lemme patch him through." Rayne thought Kevin seemed a little put out by this dismissal, but Raiden's next words drew all her attention towards him. "Hey Doc, have you seen cyborgs like these before?"

"Wait, you think we're cyborgs?" Jack said, "Did you think we were with this Armstrong guy too?"

Raiden looked at them funnily, then sheathed his sword as Doktor said "I don't have any data on these three. They are completely different from any other cyborg I've seen. The plates aren't just enhancement plating either, it is something new."

Raiden looked back at us and said, "I don't have time for this. I gotta find the kids." He turned as he fiddled with his ear and said "Kev, what were you saying about Armstrong?"

Kevin's voice came back as the other three wondered what they were going to do now. "Well, he's not intent on killing us." Mist said, "That's a good thing."

"Yeah, but what's going on?" Rayne asked, "He's going against Armstrong who's using kids to make cyborgs. Is he going after him? Is Light using him to kill what's impure?"

"And what about Darkness?" Jack wondered, "Vanitas couldn't have known what Light would do. Darkness must be around here somewhere, and we have to stop it from starting any wars."

"Yeah." Mist said, "So we have a plan. Find Darkness and stop it from starting wars."

"Uh, I hate to break it to you, but that sounds more like a goal." Rayne said, "How are we going to stop Darkness?"

"We need to find it first." Jack replied, "I think I heard someone mention the Colorado Senator. Since Raiden's going against him, maybe Light is influencing Raiden to go against Darkness."

They nodded slowly, but started when they heard banging noises. They quickly rushed to the room, and saw Raiden facing off with a doctor holding a gun to a boy's head. Suddenly the boy pushed the gun away, leaving Raiden an opportunity to disarm the doctor. He did more than that. The three of them watched in awe as Raiden's eye flashed red, then zoomed up to the doctor faster than they could follow and cut him in half, from shoulder to hip.

Blood exploded, showering the boy who was taken hostage, and Raiden flung the blood off his blade before sheathing it behind his back.

Jack gasped and said, "Corruption."

Everyone turned to him, including Raiden and the boy. The boy instantly started gabbling in some other language that only Raiden could understand. Raiden shook his head, saying, "These aren't ninjas, and they aren't with me. They should have left the moment they got here."

"Where are you going now?" Jack asked, "To go kill Armstrong for the sake of the weak?"

Raiden didn't flinch, and started to walk past them. "None of your business. I suggest it stay that way."

The boy looked at all four of them before running after Raiden, who was speaking into his earpiece. "Courtney, I've found George. I'm coming back to the RV point for extraction." After that, he continued walking until he was out of sight.

"Dad," Rayne said quietly, "What did you mean by Corruption?"

"I mean," Jack said, "That Light isn't the only Divine Being trying to get a hold on Raiden. That moment when he killed the doctor, I felt Corruption surge."

"So he has two divine beings fighting for control?" Mist asked, "Isn't that dangerous for the vessel?"

Jack nodded, "It won't do any physical harm now, since none of them can use anything close to their full power here. The most it would do is result in him having schizophrenia, or dual personality disorder."

They didn't say anything for a bit, then Rayne said "But we're still going to go after him, right?"

"Of course," Jack said. "There is a slight problem, though."

The other two looked at Jack, and he said "Where the hell is Colorado?"

* * *

**Well, that's the first bit of the MGR world. I've already finished the first draft of this section, but it already feels a little forced. Oh well, hopefully it won't by the time I've editted. Just a note, the boy wasn't gabbling in another language. Keyblades unlock everything, including the language barrier. The reason they couldn't understand the boy was because he was talking in really strong Guyanan accent, so it wasn't translated for them.**

**In case you haven't figured it out, this won't be the classic team-up-with-native-protagonist storyline. MGR's just a tool to illustrate the bigger picture, namely the battle between the Three Divine Beings.**

**Hope you enjoyed this, 'till next time.**


	22. Part 2, chapter 12

"Well, that could have gone worse."

Jack, Mist and Rayne were hovering on their Riders above the city of Colorado. Normally they would have been careful about not being seen by the residents of the world, but they weren't in the mood to care much. Remnants didn't get tired, and after a tedious 4 hour ride, it didn't seem as if their minds dulled or grew less alert. What Remnants could suffer from was boredom, and the three of them were very bored.

"Yeah, we made it." Mist said, "but I'm pretty sure there was a better way to get to Colorado."

"Oh, come on," Jack replied, "It's not like we're depleted or anything. I don't think Riders can run out of energy."

"I think we proved that." Rayne said, "There shouldn't ever be a need where we need to ride for that long again."

Jack landed on a building rooftop and swung his legs to work out cramps a normal body would have after using a Keyblade Rider after 4 hours would induce. Even though he didn't get cramps anymore, he still stretched out of habit. "At least we didn't get spotted back in the country we came from." he said, "What was it called again?"

"Mexico." Rayne said, "And I wouldn't be too worried about that. The country didn't exactly seem uptight about security."

Mist sat down on the building, still keeping an eye on the car that Raiden was now driving. They had followed him through the traces of Light he left, but had to quickly get on their Riders to follow the plane he boarded. There were probably some people who had picked them up on a rader, or been seen, but as Rayne said, the country didn't seem too uptight on security. It was a novelty using it as a mode of transport on the world itself. It would have been tiring for people that actually had bodies, but they just found it boring riding below the plane. They normally knew where to go, and could dash faster than almost anything to their intended position. Trailing something as slow as the airplane was an interesting experience, and one none of them wished to go through again.

While flying, they had been able to talk, which showed that they could still talk Heart to Heart. Other people wouldn't have to be able to hear each other over the wind resistance and the wind of the motors, but they could hear each other perfectly. Jack and Mist had thought it was comforting. Rayne probably thought so as well, but just said it was embarrassing.

"Something's happening." Mist said, "Raiden's car is being attacked."

The others got up and looked over the top of the building, and saw that his black car was now whizzing towards the city, pursued by black and white cars with sirens that blared noisily. "Right." Jack said, "Let's follow."

The three of them watched as Raiden drove his car into the city, then jumped across the building roofs to where Raiden's car crashed. The buildings were the same height, and they didn't even need to strengthen themselves to leap to where Raiden was. It wasn't hard to find him, they just followed the sounds of explosions and made a beeline for the wisps of smoke.

When they got to where Raiden was, they weren't surprised to see dozens of humanoid cyborgs twitching on the ground. Some of them had been cut in half from their head to their groin, and Rayne couldn't help leaning over one and peering at the curious combination of circuits and flesh. They were bleeding, but sparks of electricity also jumped out of the body.

"Rayne, we have to go after Raiden." Jack said. They could hear the sounds of explosions in the distance, and it seemed like these weren't the only cyborgs in the area.

She nodded and got up. "Right. Do we have a plan, or are we just making things up as we go along again?"

"It seemed like Raiden was pretty dead set on bringing down this Armstrong guy." Jack said, "Maybe if we help him defeat it, he'll stop this righteous crusade. Maybe Light will be forced away."

"So, we help him achieve revenge," Rayne said, "and then hopefully he'll be less fervent and passionate, and then Light will not want him as a vessel because the two of them don't think alike?" She looked at Jack and Mist, who didn't respond. "Sounds like a great plan." She said in a cheerfully sarcastic tone.

The three of them kept on running through the streets and followed Raiden into a building. Even in the lobby there were cyborgs that were sliced up and spasming.

"Is this where Armstrong is?" Rayne asked as she looked around. She was impressed with all the polished wood in the building. Jack and Mist ran up the stairs to where the lifts were before seeing an open with even more cyborgs behind it. These ones were the larger variety that stood at three metres with cannons on top of its legs. There were also black spheres that had three arms, all of which hung limply on their sides.

"He's on the roof." Jack said as he tried pressing the buttons on a lift. "And it doesn't look like these work." He punched the glass window, widening the hole with another kick and summoned his Rider.

"Why don't we just run up?" Rayne asked, "I've spent enough time on Equillibrium."

"Don't want to waste Light running up." Jack said, "This world is far into the Realm of Light, but it's still always best to save our personal reserve." And with that, he shot up toward the roof.

Mist summoned her Rider and Rayne followed suit. Her Keyblade had always been black and white, symbolizing the Light and Darkness that dwelt within her at the time. When her Keyblade manifested itself into her armour, the colour scheme transferred itself to it. Black and white patterns swirled around the whole armour, and the dark and light parts shone, depending if she was using Darkness or Light. Her Rider was influenced by this as well. She rode it standing, a lot like Ven's rider, but that was as far as the similarity went.

Where Ven's rider had been a solid disk with long protrusions on the back that resembled metal wings, her rider was longer but thinner. The X shapes on her Keyblade transferred to the rider, and she stood on a series of X's that knitted together to form a mesh surface. Her Rider looked a lot like the surfboards that were common on the Destiny Islands, but at the end of it the X's rose like a wall, almost like the bow of a boat. There was an orb glowing in the front that could shoot out blasts of Light and Darkness at whatever creature was unfortunate to attack Rayne as she travelled through the Lanes Between.

Mist's was white, even more pristine than her gauntlet it stemmed from. The two orbs that appeared on her hands also appeared on her feet, and two skis spread out from that point. Across the two metre long skis were runes inscribed into them, and Light could be transfered through the skis and suddenly accelerate.

Mist fended off anything that wandered the Lanes Between by kicking and flipping around, still bowing to the currents of Light and Darkness. She was by far the most mobile and graceful of the Masters in the Lanes Between. Ven could surpass her in speed, and Terra could surpass her in power, but only Rayne came close to possessing the grace Mist obtained when flying, and even then, Rayne's Rider seemed large and unwieldy when compared with Mist's.

She flew up alongside her mother, and in a few seconds had gotten to the top of the roof. Jack was standing still, and said, "I can sense him. He somehow got underground."

"We're on a roof." Mist said, "How did he do that?"

"I don't think he jumped down." Rayne said. "Is there another lift?"

"It doesn't matter." Jack said, "I can still sense him. He's moving that way." He pointed in the direction of more buildings, and the three of them ran across to the edge, trying to see where Raiden was.

Rayne couldn't see him anywhere, and said, "Maybe he's underground."

"Yeah, that makes sense." Jack said, "He's still moving, and buildings this tall must have foundations."

They saw Raiden emerge from a building on the corner of the street they were on. He started running up some stairs, and the three Remnants quickly followed. They leapt on the rooftops, not wanting to be seen, and were on the building behind Raiden when screens lit up and a man's face appeared on all the buildings.

"Jetstream Sam." Raiden growled. His hand went to his sword, which was sheathed behind his back.

"I heard you chopped the lab director in half." Sam continued, "Old habits die hard, eh, Jack?"

"Is that his real name?" Jack asked, "Man, what a rip-off."

They laughed a little and continued listening to Sam talk. "Play savior to a bunch of brains, and what? Earn a medal? Think about it, Jack. No matter how many Mexican kids we cut or Africans we bury, the first world looks away. No one gives a shit. Not the media, not the politicians, and certainly not the average joe."

"Good thing Raphael isn't here." Rayne said, "He'd probably jump down and punch the screens out."

"I wonder when he'll accept that there are just so many people who don't care." Jack said, "Sam's right, though. No one really cares about what's right or wrong. They just care about what's good for them."

Raiden had walked into the center of the city and stood in front of a hologram of Sam. He brandished his sword in front of the hologram and said, "My sword is a means to an end: to protect those you'd prey on."

"Really?" Sam sneered, "Let me ask you, all those cyborgs you've killed up 'till now. Maybe they weren't kids, but they were people. You ever think about them, when you're chopping them into hamburger?"

Raiden looked away and replied, "They're adults. They made their choice."

Sam laughed and said, "Sure, they're adults. Sure, they signed up for this. Right on the dotted line of their PMC contract. Usually they're no strangers to war. In fact, many times they already lost a limb or two. Many times they were out of work, starving on the street."

He switched to another screen, causing Raiden to whirl around. "So yes, they sign up for surgery to fight god knows where, how else would you provide for your family when your country's embroiled in civil war. Pain receptors shut down, pumped full of fear inhibitors, and sent right into the blender. Your blender. But they made their choice, right?"

"In some ways, Sam's right. There is no pure and good action to take." Jack muttered, "Only the monstrous way and the less monstrous one." He sighed and said, "And I thought the wake-up call we gave Raphael was harsh." Jack said, "The way Sam's breaking the news to Raiden, though, it worries me"'

"What are you talking about?" Mist asked. Raiden was now backing up slightly, and they jumped to another roof to keep track of him.

"Corruption and Light." Jack replied, "Two Divine Beings fighting for control of this body. For the moment, Light has the upper hand, but what will happen after Raiden's shaken like this? What will be unleashed?"

Raiden was fighting two cyborgs now, but his movements were slower, as if he realized that what he was doing was cold murder. It was like he had been using the excuse that the cyborgs knew what they were signing up for to kill them freely. Now he knew that they were almost as innocent as the kids, he was afraid to swing. The second reason for the deterioration of his skills was more worrying. His body couldn't cope with the enormous struggle taking place in his body, and it made his reactions sluggish and uncoordinated.

He stumbled down the street and ended up in front of a huge building. The three of them followed along the rooftops, but had to jump down. They walked behind Raiden, and hid behind some bushes when a man walked out to greet him. When the three of them looked closer, they realized it was Sam. "Not as black and white now, is it? Is your cause just, or is that "just" what you tell yourself?"

"How pleased you are to chop away, Jack the Ripper." The voice came from on top of the glass building they were in front of. "My name is Monsoon, the winds of destruction." He jumped down, and Jack was astounded to see that he could split his body into several parts. How the hell could he survive like that? What made the parts stay together?

This was far more powerful than just normal magic. The feet fell to the ground hard, but the other parts were unharmed. They floated, then clamped together. Monsoon was tall, with white shoulder length hair and a red mask on his face.

He turned to Raiden, grinning. "Feasting on the insides of your enemies. How easily you ignore the loss of life when it suits you. So tell me, who save the weak from the man who saves the weak?"

Raiden didn't look at Monsoon as he said, "You're the ones exploiting them. You take advantage of their weakness. Of course they get hurt when you set them up as your human shield."

Monsoon looked up at the rain nonchalantly and said, "Kill or be killed, Jack. Phnom Penh taught me that."

"What's that?" Rayne whispered. Jack shook his head, indicating he didn't know either. "Probably a war or something. But this is bad. Corruption's getting more of a foothold on Raiden's Heart. His righteousness is fading fast, and Light with it."

"Does it matter, though?" Rayne said, "It's just one Divine Being or the other."

"I meant it's bad for Raiden." Jack said. "Who knows what his mental state's like, having two gods compete inside him."

Monsoon was still talking, pacing back and forth as he was talking. Three guards came and stood with their swords drawn. "Envy, greed, despair, all memes, all passed along."

"How about full of shit?" Raiden spat, "Is that a meme?"

"You can't fight nature Jack." Monsoon said, and his voice and attitude reminded Jack of Vanitas. "Wind blows, rain falls, and the strong prey upon the weak. Sam tells me you see your weapon as a tool. Something that saves lives, justice." He laughed derisively, driving the similarity home. "Now there's a meme. Exquisite! It's spared you the burden of all the lives you've taken. Absolved you of guilt when you enjoyed it. That is, until the illusion was broken."

"Should we stop Monsoon?" Mist asked. Even she could sense Corruption rising in Raiden, and she was getting worried.

"Wait." Jack said, "The guards can be taken down easily, but Sam and Monsoon seem different. We can't afford to get cut up here."

"But Raiden's losing his sanity." Mist protested, "If it keeps on going like this, he'll go completely insane."

"No." Jack disagreed, "His Heart's strong. It can afford to be possessed. Besides, we can't do anything now."

Raiden was kneeling, and his face was covered in his shadow. No one could see his expression. Hoarsely, he said, "You're right. In America my friends, my family… they helped me forget the devil inside me. But who am I kidding. _I was born to kill."_ He pounded the ground and it cracked under the strength of Corruption.

His voice, which had already been raspy, had grown completely warped. His voice flickered between Corruption's voice and his own as he continued. "The bit about my sword, that means of justice. I guess I needed something to keep the Ripper in check when I was knee-deep in bodies. _But you, all this, is a wake up call to what I really believe, what I really am."_

"What are you saying?" Monsoon asked, walking closer to Raiden.

_"I'm saying Jack is back."_

Rayne swore as his body began to glow red and white. Monsoon yelled at the guards to kill him, and Raiden got impaled through the stomach. Raiden didn't flinch. On the contrary, he laughed long and hard. It was the laugh of someone who had lost his mind. "Doktor." He said, "Turn off my pain inhibitors."

There was a short response, but Raiden yelled, "Do it!" He waited, and then he screamed in pain as he doubled over, the sword still in his stomach. Slowly, he pulled the sword out, drawing torrents of blood in the process. The blood mingled with Corruption's aura and surrounded him. "Yeah," Raiden muttered, "Pain… This is why I fight."

With an almighty tug, he pulled the sword free and stayed standing. In fact, he seemed stronger. His rage and his killing aura strengthened Corruption, and it healed the wound in his stomach. Raiden looked up, and even his eye was blazing with red light. _"Right. This is my true nature."_

"You've lost your mind." Monsoon whispered. Mist was inclined to agree with him. Corruption had completely forced Light out of Raiden, and now he was a mass of destruction: ready to kill anything and everything in this world.

Monsoon gestured for the remaining two guards to kill Raiden, but they might as well have sent two dogs to do the job. Moving even faster than normal, with that red aura of Corruption surrounding him, Raiden cut the two in half effortlessly.

Giggling maniacally, he raised his sword and asked, "Who's next."

Eager, Sam stepped forward saying, "I'll take this dance," but Monsoon held out his hand and said, "No, Sam. Report to the chief. He's mine." Grinning, he advanced on Raiden, saying, "I've misjudged you. You are like us after all."

Raiden laughed again and said, "That nickname you love so much. Wanna know how I got it." He ran his hand across his blade, tracing the blood spattered on it. He knelt down and raised his sword and said, "Actually, why don't I give you a demonstration?_ I think it's time for Jack to let 'er rip!" _Corruption then blazed around him as he charged towards Monsoon.

* * *

**This chapter was easier to write, since a lot of it followed the dialogue set in the game. That might be a good or bad thing, depending on your preferences. After this, there will actually be original story instead of typing in the game script. In case you haven't worked it out, this isn't going to be your typical Kingdom Hearts world, where Sora teams up with the protagonists of the world.**

**Hope you all enjoyed that, 'till next time**


	23. Part 2, Chapter 13

"Should we help him?" Rayne asked, as she watched the two of them clash. Monsoon was strong as well, and his separable body allowed him to move with surprising agility.

"I think not." Said a heavily accented voice behind her. The three of them whirled around to see Jetstream Sam standing behind them, tapping his arm as he did so. A screen popped up, and Sam said, "Chief, I might not make it back as soon as we thought. There are still some rats to dispose of outside."

A rough voice with a foreign twang to it grumbled, "Hmph, since when did taking care of rats take so much time? Yer losing yer touch."

Sam chuckled and the screen disappeared. "Well now. Never would have thought you guys would be helping blondie there." He said, cocking his head to Raiden and Monsoon fighting, a cloud of Corruption hovering around Raiden.

"Well, we are." Jack said, "Armstrong needs to be stopped, and Raiden won't be able to do it himself."

Sam threw his head back and laughed. "Well, I see that you people are going to talk this time. I would love to watch this exquisite poetry," he continued, turning longingly towards Raiden and Monsoon, "but I suppose if you were to turn violent, we might interrupt this sensual dance."

"Sensual?" Rayne asked, "Did your mom and dad ever give you the talk?"

Sam laughed again and said, "I am well aware of the mechanisms of lust, but battle? That is when true exhilaration comes. When you know nothing except what you and your partner will do, and you memorize every one of your partner's patterns and movements. You know his every expression and every quirk of his body. That is true sensuality."

"How does Armstrong collect psychos like this?" Rayne asked to no one in particular.

"Rayne." Mist said warningly, "Enough."

Rayne subsided and looked at Jack questioningly. Jack shrugged and said, "Fine. Raiden can take care of himself."

"Are you sure?" Mist said, "We shouldn't be leaving him alone."

"He has Corruption coursing through his veins." Jack said, "He'll be fine. Being possessed never did anyone with a strong Heart any harm. He'll destroy the base and Armstrong with it, but there's nothing Corruption can do in the long run. The most he'll be able to destroy is the people in the building. I can't believe this world doesn't have any defences, so killing everyone on this world won't be happening."

"So we just let Corruption do its thing?" Rayne asked, "What happened to stopping it?"

"I want to see if there are any other Divine Beings here." Jack said. He turned to Sam and asked, "What does Armstrong want?"

"You _cadelas_ with all your talking." Sam said with a sneer, "I think I should be asking what the hell you want."

"We don't need to tell you anything." Jack said firmly. Sam smirked, and before anyone could react, Rayne's left arm was severed and flew out of sight. She stumbled back, registering the grinding crash but only realized that her arm was severed when she fell to the ground, unable to catch herself.

"Rayne!" Jack and Mist both yelled. Mist rushed to Rayne's side while Jack summoned Wanderer's Judgement and filled it with Light. This time he was alert, but still only saw a red flash as Sam's katana shot out from his sheath to block. Sam did more than that, and Jack stumbled back as his Keyblade was thrown back by the sheer force of the blow. If he had been a human, his arm would have been dislocated. How could a human be so strong?

As Jack stumbled back, he looked at Sam again, and was amazed to see that Sam had sheathed his katana in less than a second. How could he be an unpossessed human? Sam was walking slowly towards Jack, but saw Rayne's hollow armour and stopped in amazement. "_Meu deus_" He muttered. "Just what are you?"

The orbs on Mist's gauntlets glowed green as she cast Curagas on Rayne. Jack's Heart eased as he saw that the armour itself could be regenerated. There were bonuses to not having a real arm. He doubted Mist could even reattach one, let alone regenerate one.

Jack summoned Wanderer's Judgement to his hand again and was about to start fighting Sam again, when a huge, metal obelisk almost splattered him against the building.

"What the hell?" he yelled, jumping back to avoid the massive monument. Sam was laughing again and said, "Monsoon's getting desperate, I see."

Looking around, Jack saw Raiden dash up the obelisk and his sword became a blur of destruction, the cloud of Monsoon's blood merging with Corruption's aura. Jack couldn't even keep up with it. How much of Monsoon's body was in that metal shell? How much sinew or tendons still remained in that body, still functioning but separated by cold, unyielding metal? How much did Monsoon feel, packaged up into metal coffins, held together by machinery? Surprisingly, Monsoon fell to the ground in one piece. Even dead, his body still held together.

Sam sighed in longing as Raiden walked into the building, then turned back to the Rikkisons. "Now, why are you here?"

Jack hesitated, then said, "What does Armstrong want? Our answer will depend on that."

Sam smiled and said, "I am the one asking the questions." He strode forward and slashed again at Jack. Jack was ready, and was able to keep hold of Wanderer's Judgement before firing off a blast of white fire. Sam twisted in the air and sent off a flurry of quick slashes that pushed Jack back.

Glancing back to see how Rayne was doing again, he transformed Wanderer's Judgement into its Rider form and flew around Sam. Sam spun around and dodged Jack, even though Jack seemed to attack on all directions. His sharp eyes followed Jack as he whizzed around Sam, then suddenly stabbed at the air where Jack would be. Jack jumped up, but this was just a feint and Sam's katana slashed through Jack's torso.

A huge hole was rendered in Jack's middle, and he fell to the ground, practically cut in two, and Mist yelled out. Jack raised his head, but didn't risk getting up for fear of ripping his armour in two. Sam walked over to Jack and said, "Now, who are you people? And how the hell can you be moving?"

Jack didn't say anything, and wondered what to do. Was Raiden this strong? If so, how were they going to stop him? Rayne sat up, her left arm healed, and said, "We're aliens from another world."

Mist whirled her head towards Rayne while Jack asked, "Rayne, what are you thinking?"

Rayne ignored both of them and said, "We come from another world, and Armstrong might have something we want."

Sam laughed long and hard, then stepped away and said, "First blondie, now aliens. This is truly a day for my beliefs to be tested." He had his back to the three of them and seemed like he was lost in his own thoughts, but none of them dared to attack him after seeing what he could do. "I should kill you for opposing Armstrong, you know. You and anyone against our little plan. Maybe the other alien was right."

Jack, whose armour was being gathered by Mist, sat up, almost tearing his armour in two. "You've seen more like us?"

"Yeah, another glowing idiot dressed up in a suit of armour." Sam said, watching the process of Mist mending Jack's armour with fascination. "Asked me some weird stuff about my ideals. Chased him off quickly, though."

"Who was he?" Mist asked, "Did he give a name?"

Sam snorted derisively, "He was one of those people who didn't give me a name, called himself justice, and my conscience. _Mierda_ like that. Ripped off his armour quickly, and he ran away soon after that."

"Did his armour repair itself?" Mist asked. She and Rayne were helping knit together the pieces they could recover from the ground. Light tinged was tinged with a greenish hue, and they knit together between the pieces. At first, the pieces simply hovered in place, but the greenish Light grew brighter and brighter, and when the Light died down, the armour had healed.

Sam shrugged and said, "The bastard left after I slashed through him. He said he'd be coming back soon. Then again, they always do."

Mist looked at Jack and Rayne. "It sounds like one of the Divine Beings. Maybe Light?"

Jack nodded. "That justice stuff sounds like him, but it could be the others just trying to tempt Sam. He'd be a hell of a vessel." He turned up to Sam and asked, "Why are you letting us live? You should be killing us right now."

Sam shrugged and said, "I don't think you'd be much of a threat to Armstrong. Maybe if you were stronger I might bother."

Rayne laughed and said, "I'm calling bull. You should kill anyone who might pose the slightest threat. That's what a professional normally does. Why aren't you attacking us?"

Sam's eyes narrowed and he said, "You'd think you wanted to die, girl. You want to get an arm cut off again?"

"How can you tell I'm a girl?" Rayne asked, "It's not exactly obvoius."

"Do all aliens have small brains?" Sam asked, "We have ways of knowing things without our eyes. The way you speak, the way you hold yourself, the way your two parents fuss over you like a soldier fusses over his gun... you are a girl, and the two people behind you are your parents."

Rayne hesitated for a moment and Jack took the opportunity to ask, "Can we somehow meet this other Remnant?"

"Is that what you aliens call yourself?" Sam smirked, "Well, he said that if I ever changed my mind to the 'side of justice', just go back to where I met him."

"Where did you meet him?" Jack asked. His armour had been healed, and he got up slowly. "Can you take us there?"

Sam hesitated for a moment, then shrugged. "Why not? Let's go see what you three have to do with this guy." He fiddled with his left arm, which Jack realized was mechanical, and a cyborg bird came flying down in front of them. He jumped on and said, "Can you keep up?"

Jack snorted and summoned his Keyblade Rider in response. Sam's eyebrow twitched in surprise and said, "You aliens might have small brains, but your spaceships are certainly admirable."  
"They're not-" Jack started, but Sam didn't listen and the cyborg he was standing on flew off past the city. Mist hovered beside Jack and asked, "Are you sure we want to leave Raiden? He seems a little…" She trailed off as she waited for Jack's reply.

"He should be alright." Jack said. "Corruption isn't fully controlling his mind. He's still thinking straight, but he's just able to channel so much of Corruption's energy because he was thinking exactly like it. Just so long he stays resolved to kill, he'll be fine."

Mist nodded, "First time wanting to kill is good."

"No." Jack disagreed, "Wanting to kill is natural and forgivable when protecting something. Sometimes we have to kill to protect what's precious to us, and I'll kill anything that tries to kill you, Rayne, Marek or Jason."

"Why do you have to always make it so awkward" Rayne muttered, but there wasn't any edge ot her subdued voice. She started to say something, but instead she summoned her Keyblade Rider and flew away, quickly followed by her mother and father.

* * *

Sam led them past the city, and along a road in the middle of a desert. The dusty wind made Sam shield his eyes as they flew along the barren landscape. As he flew, Jack thought about Raiden and his simple ideals. He had been as simple once; only cared about protecting the worlds. It had all been so simple then.

As simple as the landscape. Looking down, he saw a desert whiz past him, showing only the occasional tree and boulder to differentiate itself from the rest of the barren land. When had he changed into this pondering soul? He had the Heart of a twenty year old, but a thousand years of memories and experiences. They were all changed, whether they knew it or not, and whether they liked it or not. If their past selves met these hunks of armour, would they be recognized for who they were? Remnants were truly the right term from them; a mere shard of the self they had once been, what other term could be used to describe them?

They had been flying for almost half an hour, and Sam was coming to the ground. Jack slowed down and hopped off alongside the road, looking around him and wondering if this spot held any import or significance. Jack had no idea how Sam could differentiate this spot from the others in the vast desert. There were trees and boulders in the distance, but nothing to set it apart from any other point.

He landed and said, "Well, this was where I met him. I was on my way to scout out the Solis base over there and the bastard just popped out of nowhere."

"Why were you checking out the base?" Mist asked. She dismissed her Rider and stood looking around. Sam rolled back his shoulders and said, "If Raiden wants to stop us, he'll have to go to the base. This is the quickest way there, and he isn't one to skirt around problems. Not anymore."

Sam smiled in an almost wistful fashion as he finished. Jack sat down on the ground and asked, "I take it you approve of this new Raiden?"

Sam nodded. "That old childish resolve held him back from growing strong. Now that he has the universal resolve to kill, he is truly how he was meant to be."

"Is the resolve to kill universal?" Mist asked, "Did you start off always wanting to kill?"

Sam laughed. "Of all the questions to ask one of the best killers in the world." He sat on the ground as well and unsheathed his sword. It was plain and didn't have any adornments. No need for decorations for a weapon meant to kill.

He studied it, seeing it flash in the light of the morning sun. "I suppose I did, although not for the same reason. I was young and naive, a lot like Raiden, actually." He chuckled a little as his eyes glazed over, remembering old times. "What an idiot. Neither of us could keep that attitude for long in this world."

"What do you mean, the two of you were similar?" Jack asked, "Did you both fight for justice?"

Sam snorted. "Well, we both thought we did. We were proven wrong, of course. There is no such thing as justice in this world, and it can never do us any good."

"You don't sound as if you believe that." Mist said quietly. Sam looked at her, then shrugged. "I'm a killer. It's all I believe in."

Mist started to speak again, but Sam held up his hand. "Hold on, a private message coming my way. Someone's in a little trouble." He fiddled with his arm, and a blue screen hovered in the air. "Cut yourself shaving?" Sam laughed dryly. The voice at the other end gurgled and said, "Asshole. He's good, real good."

He coughed again, and it was obvious he was dying. Raiden had killed him. "You knew this would happen, didn't ya. Well, you'll get your wish." He sighed once and said, "Up to you now, Sam." The screen blipped out of sight, and Sam rolled his shoulders. "Well, that's our chief dead. Soon, I'll fight Raiden to the death."

"Wouldn't a killer say that he'd kill Raiden?" Rayne asked, "Do you want to fight, or kill?"

"You should have been a lawyer, girl" Sam said flatly, "With the way you pick apart words like a vulture picks out the meat of the fallen."

"Why don't you want to kill Raiden?" Rayne asked undeterred, "We aren't going down the sudden redemption cliche, are we?"

Sam laughed again. "No, no. That has been used too much in those fairy tales, I think. No, it's more…" His voice trailed off as he searched for words, but he didn't continue.

"Do you admire Raiden?" Jack asked. They had nothing better to do as they waited for Light, and Sam seemed more talkative than they'd expected. Sam smiled grudgingly and said, "Of course not. His idealism makes for a good story, but the way he just wears it proudly on his chest like an insignia, it makes me want to kill him and save him at the same time."

"What changed you?" Jack asked. Sam looked heavily at Jack before standing up and looking towards the solis base. "The other alien's here. Let the outer space reunion begin."

The three of them turned and saw Pierce emerge with five Lightsworn behind him.

* * *

**Right. Here we branch off from the main game. This actually flowed pretty easily, and I liked writing about Sam. It was a little weird to write how he talked, but I don't think I did badly. The bits in italics are Portuguese. I know I said the Keyblades translated everything, but I just wanted to add it in. I used Google ****Translate, so it might not be 100% accurate, but fortunately (or unfortunately) I have Herald :)**

**Just a point of clarification as to why Sam was able to break Keyblade Armour. Keyblade Armour _can_ be broken with brute strength, but there just isn't a feasible way to apply such strength in battle, and using Light/Darkness enhancement is much easier. Sam has a lot of factors on his side, aside from the fact that he's extremely badass and has cyborg enhancements**

**1. His blade vibrates at extremely high frequencies, making it like an overpowered chainsaw, giving it more power. It's also more durable than even Raiden's blade, demonstrated to us by Armstrong.**

**2. He always strikes the places that has the least Light reinforcing it. He can't sense the Light, but Light flows in a way similar to muscles and tendons, and Sam can predict and perceive the vulnerable points on his opponents. When defeating Jack, he predicted where Jack would fly and what parts of the body would have pressure applied on it.**

**3. His sheath has a trigger, which makes it eject at high speeds. This was how he could take off Rayne's arm so quickly.**

**He is probably one of the only ones on the world who can take out a Remnant. Raiden possesses the same amount of skill, but his blade isn't as high quality as Sam's, and he can't put as much power behind his strokes. Armstrong definitely has the durability, and if he gathered all his power into one punch, he could probably obliterate one suit of armour. Of course, this would require a power source equal to or greater than EXCELSUS.**

* * *

**Another note: All of what was said above is canon only to Veritas. TerraKH's next story(s) might include the MGS world in it, and if it does, there will no doubt be incongruencies. Just don't go saying _"Hey, in Veritas so-and-so happened, so why did this occur?"_ Just go with the flow, and note that this was written before BTDV and UwS.**

**Thanks, and until next time!**


	24. Part 2, Chapter 14

_"You couldn't have thought to take me by surprise, pathetic Remnants."_ Light said. As Lea had found out in Traverse Town, when one Lightsworn spoke, they all spoke. It was more than a voice, it was a sound that reverberated from the ground and air itself.

"What do you want here?" Jack asked. He summoned Wanderer's Judgement to his hand, and Rayne did the same as well.

_"Darkness wishes to spread Chaos through the world." _Light responded,_ "I choose merely to stop him."_

"And how do you plan on doing that?" Jack asked coldly. "By killing off every impure human here?"

_"I am no fool."_ Light said, as the six Lightsworn spread out slowly. _"I seek to stop the cause of the chaos. He is in a human known as Armstrong."_

Sam perked up and his hand fell on his sword handle unconsciously. Light continued to speak as the six Lightsworn spread out to surround Jack and the others. _"Armstrong's ideals are steeped in Darkness. They both believe in strength born from chaos. They believe that strength can come through a sea of discord and mayhem. They believe that the fires of greed shall burn the weak, that the inferno of sin shall make a forge that can strengthen every Realm."_

Light started flowing out from the Lightsworn, and in His rage, they formed into Tendrils tendrils cast tracks in the earth. _"Do you support this madman? Do you think thousands should die for some fabled strength?"_

"I don't think thousands should die for justice either." Jack said. "You've been in my head for too long. Don't think this talk about only killing one person makes your past deeds any less monstrous."

_"If you do not support me, you are against me, and against order and peace."_ Light's aura grew around the Lightsworn and the auras of the Lightsworn joined together into a bright mass. Jack snorted and summoned his Keyblade. He turned to Sam and asked, "Are you with us?"

Sam shrugged and said, "Let's see what you aliens are made of."

"Lazy son of a-" Rayne muttered. Mist nudged here and said, "Stop swearing."

"Mom, I'm a thousand years old." Rayne hissed back, "I think I have the right to swear."

"You're still a young lady in your Heart." Mist said, "And besides, it's not the first time you've exaggerated your age."

"Get over it, mom!" Rayne replied, "I was fifteen."

"Not what you said then, was it?"

"You would've done the same if you hadn't started dating dad when you were twelve." Rayne retorted.

"We didn't start dating when we were twelve." Mist said angrily. Jack cut her off and said, "Right. We met when we were thirteen."

"Shut up," Mist said, "You're not helping here."

"Besides, didn't you get abducted by uncle when you were fifteen or something? When did you have me?"

"Do you really want to get into details?" Mist hissed, "Anyways, just because we started dating early doesn't mean everyone else did."

"Pierce and Ava started dating when they were fourteen." Rayne said smugly.

Mist turned irritably to her and said, "They had an extra three years of experience, so they were seventeen."

"So they were lying about their ages too?" Rayne asked. Jack started to speak, but they had tested Light's patience as much as it would, and it sent a wave of Light, two metres tall and 10 metres long towards the three of them. They quickly jumped up over it, while Sam sprang to his feet and cut blindingly fast through the wave, ripping a hole in it and passing through unscathed.

_"Your impudence shall be the death of you" _Light said,_ "Just as it was the death of your son."_

"Don't try and use Pierce to make us hesitate." Jack said, "We have Hearts, but we know Pierce is dead, and we know what's at stake."

Mist started to agree, but her words were lost as Rayne ran forward. She yelled and jumped up into the air, raining down Dark shards of ice on all of them. Jack and Mist knew she was capable of using Darkness due to the X-Blade dwelling within her, but she had almost never used it. The ice shards pierced through the aura, but barely left any marks on the Lightsworn. They all sprung up, their auras of Light expanding to surround Rayne in a sphere of blinding power five metres off the ground.

Jack swore and wondered why Rayne had rushed forward like that. She had learnt to control herself better, and it didn't make any sense why she had lost control. They both knew that they wouldn't be able to pierce the sphere Pierce had constructed with their Keyblades. They stumbled a bit, but quickly recovered from the aftereffects of the bad pun, and summoned their Riders and sent them flying through the sphere.

They were meant to tear through the sphere, leaving an opening for Rayne to jump through, but she had the same idea about using a Rider, and she burst out of the sphere on her Rider. She swore again and had to swerve upwards to avoid being hit by her parents' Keyblades, but quickly recovered and jumped down next to them.

"Stop swearing." Mist muttered. Her Rider dissolved back into her two gauntlets, and they glowed dully upon her raised fists. Equillibrium fell back into Rayne's hand as she said, "Next time I see two of your Riders flying right towards me at hundreds of metres per second, I'll bear that in mind."

"Why did you get angry, anyways?" Jack said, "You should know better than that."

Rayne didn't answer, instead asking "If we destroy the vessels, Light won't be able to hold them together, will they?"

Jack nodded. "They can repair armour, but they need some form to hold them together. We need to utterly destroy the armour into scraps."

_"Fools." _Light said,_ "Even in their former lives these were skilled Masters. Blessed with my power, they can never be defeated."_

"We'll see about that." Jack said. He got ready to fight the six Lightsworn, but three of them, Pierce among them, skirted around to attack Sam, leaving the odds between the Remnants evened to one on one.

"Man, Light sure is arrogant." Jack said. He started to summon his signature white fire to his hand, but Mist said, "Any attacks fueled by Light will be useless. We have to use Darkness if we want to stand a chance."

"Oh, damn." Jack said, "I guess that's why Light thought it could defeat us." He and Mist could both use Darkness, but they had never found the need to. They wielded it clumsily, and Light laughed malevolently at them. Rayne was the only one who could wield it with any sort of proficiency, and even she was inexperienced in its use.

"If Marek was here, he'd be laughing so hard he'd forget to attack." Jack muttered. After long years of judgement regarding his use of Darkness, he would find this situation horribly ironic.

Light waited a moment longer, then rushed at the three of them. Rayne gathered Darkness into her legs and forced it down into her feet, dashing towards the Lightsworn in the middle. The other two Lightsworn on the sides turned and meant to surround her, but Jack had sent Wanderer's Judgement flying towards them, and their armour had cracks rendered in them as they were blown back by the sheer force. Mist sent bolts of Dark Thundaga raining down, but the Lightsworn blocked it easily before turning back to Rayne.

Even though their power was diminished greatly, they still retained their skill, and Rayne easily flipped over the strike of one Lightsworn before sending her Keyblade flying out towards the second, boomeranging back towards her. She caught it and blocked the strike of another Lightsworn.

She looked over to see how Sam was doing, and she wasn't surprised to see that he was holding his own against all three Lightsworn. They would try to fly over and around him, but he was always aware of where one was or would be, and he would press his advantages, forcing them back. His sword was a blur of red, and it moved so fast it seemed like his sheath squirted blood that disappeared into a mist. None of them could see it clearly as he danced about.

It was not graceful or beautiful, but there was raw power that was beautifully controlled in an attack that wasted no movements and was carried out with deadly efficiency. Other people strove to attain knowledge or money or power. This man sought perfection in his sword, and he had achieved it.

Jack and the others weren't faring as well, and they were less powerful than if they used Light. Rayne was the spearhead, being most proficient in the use of Darkness, while Jack and Mist covered her. But the World they were in was too encroached in Light, and their reserves of Darkness were flagging. The Lightsworn could be shattered by brute force, but they were too quick and such a strike would take too long.

Then, the inevitable happened, and one of the Lightsworn scored a hit on Jack's side. He stumbled back, and quickly raised Wanderer's Judgement, but it was knocked out of his hand. Unable to do anything, Mist and Rayne could only watch as the Lightsworn raised its Keyblade and suddenly stumbled over Jack being propelled over Jack's body.

None of them would have believed that a dog could have taken on a Lightsworn with sheer force, but with a tail moving as fast as Sam's sword, a cyborg dog with black armour cut into the Lightsworn, rendering deep gouges. He then leapt back dodging a string of lightning while parrying another Lightsworn with his tail. He sent heated knives shooting towards the third Lightsworn that had jumped up, and they struck home. Light grunted in annoyance and pulled them out, armour healing quickly over the shallow wound.

The Lightsworn growled and surrounded the dog, but Sam said, "Three mighty space aliens chasing after one dog. I can see how you like to work."

Jack looked back and saw Sam lounging on the ground by a large rock, surrounded by piles of armour. It was all that remained of the three Lightsworn sent against him. He stood up and laid a hand on his katana. "I think putting me in the mix will help even the odds, don't you think?"

Jack started to rise and help Sam, but the dog said, "Evidence concludes that you three are incapable of fighting these opponents. I suggest you back away."

Jack started to protest but Sam laughed, "A mighty intellect, that one. Best watch out for him." He then turned back to the three remaining Lightsworn. "Well, that was interesting to watch." Jack looked around and saw there were only two piles lying behind Sam. One had gotten away, and it didn't take an idiot to guess who.

The Lightsworn growled again. _"Had I not been waging war against Darkness, I would exert every bit of my power to kill you, you insolent human."_

Sam laughed unflinchingly. "An insolent human, eh? I think you'll have to do better than that if you want to stoop to insults."

Light flared for an instant, but then receded as the Lightsworn disappeared in a flash of Light. Jack didn't think he would ever see Light being scared off by a human without a Divine Being behind him, or even a Keyblade, but he had been proven wrong. "How long were you sitting there?" He asked, healing the small hole and other cracks in his armour.

"Oh, some minutes." Sam said, "You aliens don't really know how to fight, do you?"

Rayne bristled at the comment, but Jack held her back. "We're at a disadvantage here. We're not that bad against other opponents."

Sam smirked, not believing them, and beckoned for the dog to come over.

"What is that?" Mist asked curiously, tilting her head at the cyborg dog.

"I am IF prototype LQ-84i" The wolf said in a mechanical voice, "Also known as Bladewolf." He plodded over and sat down on his haunches next to Sam.

"How did you defeat the Lightsworn?" Jack asked. "You just ripped them apart."

Sam raised an eyebrow and shrugged. "I'm just better than you. Nothing fancy."

"It is unfeasible to try and match Sam without any cyborg enhancements." Bladewolf added.

"You can tell we're not cyborgs?" Jack asked. He sat down on the earth next to Bladewolf, who swung his tail slowly in the air. "My sensors cannot detect electrolytes or any other enhancements. There is no machinary in any of you; hence, you are unenhanced."

Jack shrugged, and Sam asked, "Well, what brings you here, wolfie?"

"Raiden fell out of the helicoptor that was going to take him to this base." Bladewolf said, "Not knowing where Raiden would be headed, I decided to head to your location. Your location is still broadcasted through the Desperado network despite the main headquarters being shut down." Bladewolf hesitated, then added, "And I knew you would stand in the way of Raiden as he approached."

Sam smiled and rubbed the sleek plating of Bladewolf's head. "For someone who claims to have such a mighty intellect, one would think you could concoct better lies. You knew Raiden would head for the Solis base, no? Why did you not just go there?"

Bladewolf didn't speak for a moment, then said, "Because I wanted to meet you for what may be the last time, and see if you would cut down Raiden."

Sam leaned his head back and said, "A cyborg with sentimentality? What's this world coming to?"

"Your surprise and outrage is fake." Bladewolf said in return, "Evidence suggests you knew of my sentiments regarding your lack of brutality."

"Do robots have preferences?" Rayne asked, "I thought robots acted without thinking and without feeling."

"I act on the most basic of premises: self-preservation." Bladewolf replied, his tail swinging in a hypnotic motion "My secondary objective is to complete the mission set to me within the given parameters. My tertiary objective is to act with efficiency. Cutting down people simply because they are there defeats that purpose. Sam and Raiden both follow this principle, and do not cut down people unless forced to."

Sam laughed again. "I hate to break it to you wolfie, but I've killed many of people. I'm in an organization of killers, and I'm the best there is."

"But you don't revel in suffering like Mistral or Sundowner." Bladewolf said calmly, "You kill because of your blade and your ideals, not because you enjoy the suffering, or want money."

"Ideals." Sam sighed, "I had them once. I thought they had been purged out of me, but now. You AI's have it lucky. None of these feelings to get in your way."

"I cannot empathize with you," Bladewolf said, "But I would equate your turmoil with what would happen if my directives proved inconclusive, and I am sorry for your confusion."

Sam laughed again. "How can this AI be so much more comforting than millions of people?"

"So, what ideals did you have?" asked Rayne. She had joined Jack and Mist on the ground in front of Sam. "And who removed them?"

"I had the same ideals as Raiden does." Sam said, "Protect the weak, kill the bad, bad men, stop organized crime." His eyes glazed over in reminiscence as he continued, "I came to Desperado, thinking to kill everyone. I'd stop these warmongers, bring a little peace to the world. I'd done it in countless _favelas _in Brazil, why not here in America? Just another big bad organization, right?"

He chuckled bitterly. "Then I met Armstrong. We fought, he and I, and I lost. I cut off an arm and he just attached it back on. He had me thoroughly beat. His ideals against mine, and he won." Sam's eyes darkened the memory.

"I was fighting for justice and all that _mierda_. I should have won against the big, bad man. Isn't that how it goes in fairy tales? After that, what could I do but join him? He had me beat to the ground."

He sighed and looked at the yellow sun starting to set. "Now, though, with blondie strutting in here and killing Mistral and Monsoon and Sundowner, what if he could win with that kind of resolve? What if I could have defeated Armstrong?"

Sam stopped talking, and after a bit Jack spoke up. "You want to fight Raiden to prove who's right. If you win, Armstrong's right. If he does, you and he were both right."

Sam didn't answer, and Jack said, "You're doubting yourself. You don't want to win."

"I'm a hired killer," Sam said, "Killing's what I do."

"If you win, Armstrong's right about you. You'll be the cold killer that your colleagues are." Jack retorted. "If you lose, then you were right all along. You could have defeated Armstrong. And you want your old ideals to be right. You want people like Raiden to win. And for that, you'll die."

"Then perhaps I should have died that night on the rooftop." Sam said thoughtfully, "Perhaps I was living on borrowed time ever since I turned back on my instincts, and now my time will finally come to an end. Maybe I should have died that night on the rooftop where Sundowner met his end when I lost track of my dreams, and now I shall finally go to where I belong."

"I never put you down for a suicide." Mist said. "Are you saying you want to die?" She turned to Bladewolf "Are you okay with this?"

"I would be saddened at Sam's death," Bladewolf said in a voice that seemed to hide depths of emotions in the cyborg, "but to think anything else would contradict with the data drawn on Sam, and clash with the Sam I would follow. If he was not the person to flinch from Operation Tecumseh, I would not have followed him in the first place."

None of them said anything, and after some minutes, Sam stood up and looked at the road where Raiden would be coming from. "You want to fight Armstrong?"

Jack nodded, and Sam took out a small metal object from his pouch. "He's here at this base in Pakistan." There were two dots, and Jack saw that they'd have to fly across an ocean to get there. "Go up into your spaceships or whatever and meet Armstrong there."

Jack nodded his thanks and turned to Mist and Rayne, who got up from the ground. "How fast can we go?" Jack asked.

Sam shrugged and said, "Never tested it. Best to be safe though. Aliens getting lost in the middle of the ocean won't make for a pretty sight. Go as fast as a an airplane would go. Oh, and the machine works on satellites in the sky, so stay in Earth's atmosphere."

"Right." Ignoring Rayne's groan, Jack turned and jumped up onto Wanderer's Judgement as it floated beneath him as a Keyblade Rider. He flew off with Mist and Rayne close behind him.

Sam looked as they flew off and lay back, petting Bladewolf as he started talking. "Two years I've been working towards this, and on the last day blondie has me doubting the whole thing…"

* * *

**I actually felt a little emotional writing this chapter. I liked Sam... I had actually planned on having Bladewolf defeat the three Lightsworn instead of just stopping one from attacking Jack, but after all that stuff last chapter on how only Sam and Armstrong could defeat a Remnant, it'd be a pretty big contradiction. **

**I promise for lots of action next time, since we'll be nearing the finale for this world. Until next time!**


	25. Part 2, Chapter 15

"This is really getting ridiculous." Rayne said, "I think we've spent more time on our Riders than we have on the ground since we got here."

None of the Remnants said anything for a bit, then Jack said, "We have to hurry."

"With battle between Light, Corruption and Darkness about to take place," Rayne said, "I don't think any of us were planning on taking our time."

Jack shook his head and replied, "I mean, we need to get out of this world quickly. We've been here too long."

"What do you mean?" Mist asked, "We've haven't even been here for a day."

"Just feel all the Light in the air." Jack said, "I remember Jason telling me that time in worlds further into the Realm of Light passes quicker. Time is dependent on the speed at which Light moves, and unconstrained by Darkness, time in this world passes a lot more quickly than it would do on the Dark Meridian."

"Wait," Mist cut in, "Raphael said that it had been a thousand years since the Keyblade War, but how did he measure that time if all the worlds move at a different pace?"

Jack shrugged and replied, "We can ask him that when we get back. My guess is that he was just going by the time flow in Radiant Garden, since he came from that world. My point is, Jason and Raphael could already have been waiting for us for days, depending on where Vanitas sent them."

Mist and Rayne nodded, and they sped up. Still, they would have all done so anyways, because they were nearing the Solis Base, and could see explosions erupt from it.

"Do we have a plan yet, or are we just going to try and wing it again?" Mist asked.

"Well, Raiden's going to kill Armstrong with Corruption's power," Jack said, "And Light probably wants to kill Armstrong as well. Once Armstrong's down Light will want to kill Corruption too."

"So are we trying to save Raiden?" Rayne asked, "Don't forget, Darkness is probably possessing Armstrong, so it's not like he'll be a pushover."

"Damn, this is complicated." Jack muttered, "It's a three way battle between the Divine Beings. Will they actually attack, or just hold back because they're scared of one gaining too much of an upper hand?"

The question was left unanswered as they got to the center of the fire and saw Raiden and Armstrong squaring off, surrounded by machinery and flames. Armstrong was on a metal spar some metres above Raiden, who was standing on the ground.

There were cracks in his black armour, and his chest heaved as wearily growled, "I said my sword was a tool of justice." Raiden's head was lowered, though his rage was palpable. He slowly unsheathed the crimson sword that had belonged to Sam as he continued, "Not to be used in anger or vengeance. But now I'm not so sure, and besides," He looked up, and his eye had the blood-red aura of Corruption leaking out of it. "This isn't my sword."

The crimson aura of Corruption sprang from his body, as a sleek coating of Darkness quickly spread through Armstrong's body. Armstrong jumped down to the ground, and gathered Darkness into his fist. He slammed it down, creating huge pillars of fire to spring from the ground. One hit from those fists would spell death or at least serious trauma. Nevertheless, Raiden didn't show any fear, and Sam's sword whirled about like a wind of destruction, slicing at Armstrong at close quarters.

As they watched Raiden and Armstrong darted between columns of flames that would spring up from Armstrong's fists, Jack sadly realized the implications of Raiden wielding Sam's sword. Sam's sword was his way of life. It represented everything he lived for, and would never part with it as long as there was life in his body. The only conclusion was that he had gotten his long-awaited duel with Raiden, and it hadn't ended in his favour. Jack had been right, and he didn't feel good about it.

Suddenly a quick flash of Light darted towards the battlefield and struck at Armstrong from behind. Pierce's Remnant quickly dodged Darkness' counterattack, though Corruption took advantage of Darkness' lapse in attention and scored a deep slash across Armstrong's abdomen.

_"Sneak."_ Darkness growled, _"How like you to hide behind honourable ideals, only to shirk them when the time comes."_

Pierce's Remnant shot out a burst of white fire, but Darkness sent out columns of red fire streaming out through the whole battlefield. Corruption leapt above them, and ran along the machinery, getting behind Light and slashing from behind. Light twisted away and Corruption's blade only glanced off the Keyblade Armour.

The battle would have gone on like that for a long time. Vessels of Divine Beings didn't fatigue like the Remnants, and Light and Darkness would have kept on hurling fire at each other while dodging Corruption's slashes from the side. Sometimes Darkness would gather dark fire into his fist and thrust it into the ground, creating huge pillars of fire, and Light would skirt around them, throwing his own firebolts towards Darkness that simply bounced off. Corruption would dodge both of these and dart in and out, slicing here and there. All of his strikes hit, but the wounds sealed up under the power of a Divine Being.

Though none of the Remnants could have known, this was how it had gone on for aeons; Light and Darkness at each other's throats while Corruption darted around them, always there but never noticed. The Divine Beings weren't aware of it either, but had adopted this fighting style out of instinct, hammered into them after aeons of battle.

The battle would have gone on like that for a long time had Rayne not stepped forward. She was trembling with anger, as she said, "We have to kill them. Stop them for defiling Pierce's memory. We have to stop them."

"What are you talking about?" Mist asked, appalled Rayne's sudden change in character. This had happened when they first fought the Lightsworn in the Badlands with Sam. Why was she this angry?

"Look at them!" Rayne yelled, _"We must stop this endless battle. We must return them to whence they came. We must unite!"_

Rayne ended with an unearthly roar and broke free of Mist's grip. She rushed forward and jumped from their vantage point on top of the ruined machinery into the fray, summoning Equillibrium to her hand. Jack and Mist quickly followed after her, readying their weapons for battle.

Light saw them first and growled, _"Insignificant Remnants. You have no place here."_ It left the battle and jumped up over Rayne to attack Jack and Mist, who were flying down after Rayne. Rayne whirled around, but Light quickly blew Jack and Mist into the ground. They made more cracks in the ground as they crashed to the earth, unable to cast an anti-gravity spell in time. Jack and Mist quickly regained their footing, and tried to parry Light's downward strike.

Pierce's Keyblade, Hidden Resolve had always resembled Jack's Wanderer's Judgement. When the two of them clashed, the resemblance was further emphasized. Black biting into black, the two Keyblades clashed, but Hidden Resolve kept on going, fueled by the power of a god, and cut a foot long slash through Jack's shoulder. Mist raised her gauntlet to fire off a spell, but Darkness barged into her, slamming her into metal machinery with a sickening scrape.

Rayne whirled around and went to attack Darkness, but Corruption suddenly dashed in front of her and held her back with quick sword strokes. Jack stumbled back, charred bits of armour falling on the ground, and holding up Wanderer's Judgement shakily. Mist staggered to her feet and started to cast Cura on the both of them. Darkness laughed and rushed towards her again. Jack stepped in front of his vessel, but Light kicked him several metres into the air, and there was a hollow clang as he landed on the broken machinery above them. Mist jumped clear of Darkness, but wasn't prepared for the explosion of flames that erupted around Darkness and sprung into the sky.

Rayne roared as she saw Mist fly out of sight, enraged at the sight of flames clinging to Mist's white armour. She jumped above Corruption and fired off bolts of blue lightning. They glanced off the black coating of Darkness' Vessel, and he laughed. _"Pathetic. You cannot harm me"_

Rayne kept on bellowing inhumanly as she parried Corruption's quick slashes and fired white fire towards Light. It absorbed the attack easily, and jumped towards Rayne, who had dropped to the ground and was running towards Light. _"We must unite!"_ Light shone through Rayne, but it was more chaotic than the Light coming out of Pierce's Remnant.

Rayne dodged Hidden Resolve as it came down, and Light jumped back, dodging Rayne's counterattack. It stood there for a moment, almost nervous, as it watched the crackling mass of energy that emanated out of Rayne.

Corruption suddenly darted forward, trying to thrust through Rayne's armour, but Rayne whirled around, and used Equillibrium to deflect the deadly sword. Corruption stumbled forward, thrown off balance by Rayne's deflection of his blade. As it made to recover, Rayne thrust her spare gauntlet into Corruption's chest. Corruption staggered away immediately, limiting the damage to its vessel, but the damage had been done and Corruption started leaking slowly out of Raiden. There weren't any physical wounds to Raiden as he collapsed on the ground, though his face looked gaunter and thinner than it had when they had first met. Raiden tried to stay standing, but the toll Corruption had taken on his body was too great on his Heart, and he collapsed wearily on the ground.

Darkness then charged towards Rayne, and he lasted longer than Corruption did. Armstrong's fists were quick, and there weren't any opening for Rayne to take advantage of. Still, Rayne dodged and deflected Darkness' charges effortlessly, using power none but a Divine Being could rival. Unnerved, Darkness drew back his fist to blow back Rayne with brute force, but Rayne took this opportunity to dash forward and plunged her Keyblade through Darkness' Vessel. Darkness quickly blew Rayne back with a wave of Darkness, but it was too late, and Darkness started leaking out of Armstrong as well.

Rayne turned to Light, not wondering why it had not worked with Darkness to bring her down, not wondering why she hated everyone with such fervour, not wondering why she was so intent on destroying what was left of her brother, she stepped forward slowly, gathering even more power into Equilibrium.

_"What are you?" _Light asked as it slowly stepped forward.

_"You shall pay for this." _Rayne yelled, _"I must unite!"_

Light snorted, and ran forward, brilliant, white streaks of Light snaking through Hidden Resolve. Rayne fired lightning that seemed to streak out from her gauntlet instantaneously, grinding a hole through the broken machinery milliseconds after it left her hand. Light jumped over this spell, somehow knowing that this Light was something he couldn't absorb, knowing that if the lightning bolt hit him, his vessel would be vaporized into nothingness.

In retaliation, Light sent tendrils of Light tearing through the air, intent on grinding through Rayne and kill her forever. Light expected Rayne to jump over them and close in for another strike, but amazingly she raised Equillibrium and sent a wave of Light that wiped out the oncoming tendrils like the waves wiped out tracks on the sand. Light quickly raised Hidden Resolve and landed on the ground; unharmed, but alarmed at this sudden surge of power that Rayne possessed.

Rayne ran forward, sending waves of Light forward to harry the furious Divine Being, raising her Keyblade above her head, aiming for an explosive double-handed downward strike. Light raised Hidden Resolve and parried the blow, but skidded back from the impact and only stopped when slid into the flaming machinery.

Enraged at being matched by a mere human, Light gathered as much of itself as it could, and charged headlong at Rayne, creating a huge gouge in the ground as it ran, Light swirling around it, making it seem like a comet. Pierce's armour was lost in the Light, and nothing but a Divine Being could have met it head on.

But though Rayne possessed the strength of a Divine Being, and her mind had been seemingly lost, she still retained some of her skill. She sidestepped Light as it charged past her, and fired another bolt of pure lightning as Light sped past It stumbled, crashing through the metal machinery and its momentum kept it flying until it sprawled on the ground almost a hundred metres away from where the battle had taken place. It quickly got to its feet, but Rayne had already jumped above it and threw Equillibrium at Light. Her Keyblade didn't spin in a circle like the Raids Sora and Ven loved to use; instead, it flew straight, true, and almost as fast as her Lightning spells.

As Light looked up, it saw a flash, then found his armour crumbling as the huge hole Equillibrium had shredded grew even larger. As Pierce's Armour crumbled to the ground, Light escaped from its ruined vessel, but instead of flying away into another Lightsworn, it withered away in the air and thinned out into smoke like the other Divine Beings as they had been purged from Darkness and Corruption.

Jack and Mist had cured themselves and had watched the gory spectacle. The Light around Rayne seemed to be fading as well, but it still seemed to be in control, and she raised Equillibrium towards the two of them.

"Rayne, stop!" Jack yelled, and he jumped down and rushed over to where Rayne was standing. Rayne's helm tilted in his direction, but it wasn't Rayne who spoke. _"You have divided me. I must unite. The two of us must unite."_

"Who are you?" Mist asked, "Why are you possessing Rayne?" Jack held Rayne by the shoulders and said, "Let go of her."

_"I cannot 'let go' of her, just as you cannot 'let go' of your lineage, Rikkison."_ Rayne growled, _"I must be united!"_

"Give Rayne back!" Jack yelled, shaking Rayne's Remnant by the shoulders. The Light suddenly flickered, and Rayne gasped under the strain. Mist tried soothing Rayne's aura, but it was too chaotic and flew out of her control.

Whatever was possessing Rayne raised her hand and her Keyblade flew to her hand. It was shrouded by Light, and Rayne started to bring it down towards Jack. Jack quickly jerked back, and his amour cracked from the strain, as it hadn't been fully healed. Rayne fired off white flames, but Mist quickly yanked Jack out of the way.

_"The two of us must unite."_ Rayne yelled, and thrust her gauntlet towards Jack. Jack sidestepped and grabbed onto Rayne. "Stop. I know you're in there. just stop."

Rayne shook herself free, and Mist said, "We have to dive into her heart."

Jack nodded. "I can hold off Rayne, do it quick."

Mist shook her head and yelled, "Your armour's still falling apart. You won't be able to move quickly. I can hold her off."

Jack started to argue, but conceded the point when a bit of his armour fell off as he dodged Rayne's strike. He jumped to the side and adopted the meditation stance. Mist drew in Light to her gauntlets and readied herself against Rayne.

* * *

It took longer than it should have to make the connection, but after some fumbling around, Jack was able to make contact with Rayne. He jumped down to her glass podium in the Station of Awakening, and saw her surrounded by a wave of Light that swirled about the podium like the wind. It didn't follow a pattern, and wasn't limited to a certain space; it ran amok through the whole of Rayne's heart.

Landing, Jack was buffetted to and fro, but was able to keep his footing. He couldn't see anything due to the blinding and fast-paced Light, but walking around, he bumped into Rayne. She was floating amidst the chaos on her back as if she was suspended by a string tied around her waist, being thrown this way and that. Jack struggled up to her and shook her. The moment they touched, she gasped and her eyes opened.

"Dad, what happened?" She caught herself as she fell to the ground. "Where are we?"

"We're inside your Heart." Jack said, "You went berserk and drove away the three Divine Beings from their vessel. But you need to control yourself."

"I-I kept on hearing this voice." Rayne stammered, "I thought it was just the after effects of being in the Keyblade Graveyard. It's so angry, so full of rage and fury. It just wants to be whole again."

Jack nodded. "I understand. Rayne, you have to control it. You have to control yourself."

Rayne looked at him wildly and said, "This isn't me. I can't control or be something as monstrous as this."

"This 'monstrous' thing helped us all defeat part of the three Divine Beings." Jack replied calmly. "Their power was split between their many vessels, but you still saved all of us. Now you need to save yourself. You can do it."

She looked at him helplessly and Jack continued, "I trust you. I always have, except for when you tried jumping out of windows." The two of them laughed nervously, and Jack said, "I know you can do it. You just have to be brave."

Rayne looked at him, and held onto his hand. She then took a deep breath and reached out to the chaotic Light that swirled around them and tried to calm it down. Instantly the radiant chaos stopped, and the Light all receded into a sphere of Light that floated serenely. "Was that it?" Rayne asked hesitantly. "Why was it so easy?"

"Because it's part of you, just like your inner Light and Marek's inner Darkness." Jack said, holding onto Rayne's shoulders, "Don't be afraid of it. You can control it, and you can't let it control you."

Rayne looked up into his eyes and nodded. "But what is it?"

The two pairs of brown eyes stared into one another, as Jack hesitated, then said, "I'm not sure. We can ask Jason when we get back. For now, just control it."

Rayne nodded slowly. "I'll try."

Jack smiled down at her and said, "You'll be able to do more than try. I know you'll be able to do it."

Rayne smiled wanly. "You'd better get out of here. Mom might be having a little trouble out there."

Jack squeezed Rayne's shoulder once more, then went out of Rayne's Heart.

* * *

Mist stood there panting. Rayne was strong, and could block all the magical spells Mist sent her way. Her reflect spells were no use against Rayne's newfound power, and she had to constantly dodge Rayne's strikes and spells. It was a good thing Rayne thought only of attacking Mist, as she had no way of defending Jack if Rayne directed her attention towards him. Mist renewed the anti-gravity spell she had cast on herself to aid her movement when suddenly Rayne stiffened.

She stopped attacking, and stood there for a moment, then yelled out in pain. The Light surrounding her receded back into her, and she fell towards the ground. Mist ran and caught her and asked, "Is she alive?"

"I can't tell." Jack said. He had gotten to his feet, and sagged wearily. "But we have to get out of here." She gestured towards Raiden and Armstrong, both of whom she could see through the holes rendered in the dying machine when Rayne had been fighting Light.

"Will they remember what happened?" Jack asked, as he summoned his Rider to his hand. Mist shrugged, but summoned her Rider as well. Carrying Rayne, the two of them sped off into the distance. Jack looked down and saw Raiden and Armstrong getting ready to fight, and also saw the pile of armour that had once represented his son. This was a pathetic resting ground for his son, who had accomplished so much, but not for the first time, there wasn't anything he could do. Turning back, he flew off into the sky and disappeared through a portal.

* * *

**Just in case you forgot about that little voice in Raphael's head... **

**Sorry this is a little late. Basically in one word, SAT's. **

**Just to confirm, the Three Divine Beings are a little weaker, but far from dead. Rayne only killed off part of them. **

**I actually planned to have Darkness say "Nanomachines, girl" to Rayne, but discarded it, thinking it would be too OOC. Still, a little disappointed I couldn't get that line, and the "bat-shit insane!" line in either. **

**Hope you all enjoyed. until next time!**


	26. Part 2, Chapter 16

The first thing Raphael noticed when he landed on the new world, was that it had an extraordinary amount of Light in the atmosphere. There were quite a few Worlds that didn't have Heartless, but that was either because there were too few people, or the surrounding environment was unsuited for the Heartless. This was one of the rare cases where most Heartless died off immediately after they were born, because of exposure to Light.

They emerged on top of a tall building, with a complete glass exterior. It looked a lot like Traverse City, except for being less cramped and wider roads. Raphael shielded his eyes from the hot sun, and looked around, wondering where their target was. Jason pointed towards the residential area, "It's Light." The streets in that direction were wider, with houses instead of apartment buildings.

"How can you tell?" Raphael asked. He couldn't sense anything, no matter how hard he tried.

"I've grown used to it." Jason said, "It's easy for all of us Remnant's to sense Light since it was inside us for so long. Besides, this vessel is thinking extremely similar to Light, and it shines out more brightly than normal."

They flew across the high rooftops, taking care not to be seen, but were pulled up short. There were screens in front of the building directly opposite, and they suddenly turned on. In front of them was a man in a suit with shoulder length hair. He started talking

"I head up an international police task force. I am called Lind. L. Tailor, otherwise known as L." Jason and Raphael stood on top of the building opposite and wondered what was happening. L continued talking. "Criminals around the world are being murdered by a serial killer. I consider this act to be the most atrocious act in history, and I will not rest until the person or persons behind this are brought to justice."

Could this be the work of Corruption, killing off people blindly, or perhaps it was Light, killing all that was unholy. "Kira," L continued, "I will hunt you down, and I will find you." People down below started murmuring in excitement. Raphael couldn't hear anything, but it was plain this was something major.

"Kira, I have a pretty good idea of what your motivation is, and I've got a pretty good idea of what you're trying to achieve." L said. "However, what you're doing right now is evil."

The crowd rose in volume, as L kept on talking about the wrongs of Kira's actions and the immorality of it. Jason and Raphael gathered that there was some mass murderer was called Kira, and that L was in charge of catching him.

Suddenly, L collapsed in screams as he clutched his heart and fell over dead. Raphael was speechless, but before he could say anything to Jason, an ornate letter L appeared on the screen. "I had to test this just in case, but I never thought it would actually happen. Kira, it seems you can kill people without being there in person."

What was this? Was this another L? The voice was distorted to avoid recognition, and it said "Listen to me, Kira. If you did indeed kill Lind. L. Tailor, I should tell you that he was an inmate whose execution was scheduled for today; that man was not L. His arrest was made in complete secrecy without any mention to the TV or the internet, so you wouldn't have heard about him. It's good to know you don't have access to this sort of information."

Raphael supposed the internet and TV were kinds of social media or information centers. He wondered briefly what the words TV stood for, but quickly drew his attention back to what the real L was saying. "But I assure you, L is real, I do exist. Now, try and kill me."

Was he mad? Why would he risk himself like this after his fake had been killed so easily like that. "Come! Strike me down, kill me where I stand." L yelled. The crowd was roaring, and Raphael could here the snippets of words that fluttered about like leaves in the wind. "Kira...L...kill him...why won't he...Kira...come on."

There was a pause, and L said "Well, Kira, it seems that you can't kill me after all. So there are people you can't kill. You've given me a useful hint, and let me return the favour."

Raphael turned to Jason as L continued to talk. "What's going on? What is all this?"

"I know as much as you do." Jason said, "I guess a lot goes on in these worlds that the Keyblade Masters don't know about. It looks like Kira can somehow kill people by giving them heart attacks, and L is part of the team trying to catch him. I guess you don't know much about this world since there aren't any Heartless in the area."

No, it was mainly because no one wanted to spend time on missions where they would be gone from their friends for a few days, but come back and see months past by. It seemed that Light was using Kira as a tool to kill. _"I don't think so."_ Riku said, _"The guy just said Kira had been killing for a while. It's pretty likely he started killing of his own volition. Besides, let's thank something up there that Light didn't have this sort of ability."_

So what did they do? Kill Light's vessel? Raphael wanted to. He had never hated anything as much as this before, but now abhorrence and anger rose in him like his own Darkness. The way the vessel killed murderers on the pretext of justice was disgusting. When would it end? Killing those who were forced to steal out of poverty? Killing children who murdered abusive parents? Killing slackers and the unfaithful? What about politicians who ruined people's livelihood but didn't get thrown into prison. Were they considered evil? It would never end.

This was what Light would end up doing. It would start with Darkness. Then Corruption. Then the people creating Darkness from their hearts. It would start with the people most greedy and corrupt, but what happened after they were dead? He would keep on going on, killing everyone starting from the worst and working his way up to the best. When would it stop? When was someone considered too 'good' or too 'bad' to live? Who had that right? Who had that power?

Jason was looking at him worriedly, and Raphael realized he could probably sense Raphael's rage. It was one of the side effects of having their Hearts briefly connected in Raphael's time in the Keyblade Graveyard.

Aloud, he said "We have to stop Light. I didn't truly see why too much Light would be bad. Not truly. Now I actually understand. Light is the epitome of rigidness. It's naivety taken to a new extreme. We have to stop it."

_"Why?"_ Riku asked. _"Before you wanted to bring truth to the worlds. What changed here?"_

Riku knew, but he wanted Raphael to voice his thoughts into coherency. So he couldn't deny it any longer. "We have to stop Light because it's wrong. Because no one should have so much power. No one can decide who should live and who should die. We have to stop it."

_"And how much does the truth matter? What if we have to lie and deceive whole words to stop this travesty from occurring?"_

Raphael thought about the blatant way one man could kill masses with the method Kira used. He thought about Light, and what it, and any of the other Divine Beings might do to the world. He thought of what too much power in the hands of one person could do. "It doesn't matter. To stop something as perverse as these Divine Beings, nothing else matters."

It was shocking, yet liberating. Was his former resolve a burden? Something that simply encumbered him and emphasized his naivety? No, it was a responsibility. Just because it weighed down on him didn't make it any less important. But stopping the Divine Beings was more important. Life was more important than truth.

_"And how do we know we're correct? You aren't putting this down to that lovely ideal called justice, are you?"_

Of course he wasn't. He was doing this because he believed it was right. The Divine Beings all had their sense of what was right, and he wasn't any different. Justice was subjective. But he believed with all his Heart that he was right. Without any delusions, and taking into account everything he knew, devoid of all falsehoods.

_"How do you know you're doing what's right? Why are you trusting your Heart without thinking about it?"_

He was trusting his Heart because that was where his conscience and his emotions stemmed from. It made him who he was. This was how he felt, and he would be true to his own feelings. Other people might not be able to do it, but he was able to face up to his actions and say he had no regrets. Even if he were to end his life denounced as a lunatic, so long he lived truly he would die without any regrets.

_"And there you have your answers."_ Riku said, _"You have the truth you have been seeking so ardently."_

Did he pass the test then? Were his motives approved by the almighty judge? Did it make his own convictions weak, that he could just switch his ideals so quickly?

_"You're still incredibly naive."_ Riku said, _"but your determination isn't misguided. It shoots through a mind clear of doubts and delusions. Being able to switch your ideals proves strength and knowledge. It might not always lead you to the right answers, and it may lead you astray, but I can acknowledge your motives, whether or not I agree or disagree."_

Jason was looking at Raphael curiously, but Raphael didn't feel like sharing what had just gone in between him and Riku. Looking down, he saw the crowd had dispersed and the screens had gone dark. He turned to Jason and asked "What now?"

Jason nodded towards the residential district where there were only houses instead of these tall skyscrapers. "We look for Light's vessel. I can trace him."

He'd probably be shaken up by L's declaration. Jason looked down into the alleyway and was about to jump when Raphael said "We should wait until it gets dark. It's not like Light's going to conquer the world in a few hours, and you'd definitely draw attention."

"How quickly does this world pass?" Jason asked, "Our friends could be fighting in the world of Darkness for days in the time it takes for us to wait. We don't have any time to waste here."

Raphael hesitated, then said. "Fine, but I can't run as fast a you. I'd rather save my Darkness for when we need it."

Jason nodded, then checked the coast was clear again before jumping down and casting an anti-gravity spell. He floated, his feet barely staying off the ground, then landed. He kept the spell going, gesturing for Raphael to jump. He gritted his teeth. This wasn't something he was used to. Jumping high heights was fine, but without any protection?

_"Oh, just jump."_ Riku said, _"Jason can easily extend the field whe- I mean, if you misjudge."_ That didn't make Raphael feel any better, and groaning, Riku grabbed control of him and jumped off. Then he pushed Raphael to the forefront letting him experience the terror of falling down thirty flights before hovering a couple of centimetres above ground. The spell disappeared, and Raphael fell to the ground and lay there spread-eagled and gasping. _"I thought you didn't want to waste Darkness."_ Riku said. Raphael would definitely get Riku back for this.

Once his heart had stopped pounding, he staggered up to his feet and started following Jason. It took a while longer because Jason took care to stay in the small alleyways. Passing by people was inevitable, but luckily they were too caught up in their own business to care. They took the long way around, then was forced to jog through a main street. People stared, but luckily, no one called for them to stop. He didn't know what fueled his new resolve, nor did he want to think about it. It was what it was, and he'd have plenty of time to ponder his epiphany when they had driven Light out of its vessel.

* * *

**So, for those of you who don't know, this world is from a manga called Death Note. It's short but good. I quite liked it. Raphael's sudden change of Heart, well, tell me what you think, because I'm not too sure if it was too unrealistic and sudden. It's partly external sources, but it's still partly him. When writing out characters I try to make them realistic. Making them likable comes second, so tell me if he seems unrealistic.**

**'till next time!**


	27. Part 2, Chapter 17

When they arrived where Light's vessel was, Raphael was surprised to see it was just like any other ordinary house. Not a palace of degenerative Light, nor a haunt of teeming Darkness. Just another house upon a street of houses.

_"So now what do we do?"_ Riku asked. Raphael thought for a moment, then walked up to the house and rang the doorbell. He gestured for Jason to run to the side of the door so whoever opened it wouldn't be greeted with the sight of a silver suit of armour.

Raphael was even more surprised to see a short middle aged woman with brown hair grin up at him asking, "What do you want?"

She looked like a mother, so Raphael said haltingly, "Uh, I-I'm here to see your son."

Her face brightened up even more, if that was possible. "Of course! You must be one of his classmates. Hold on."

"Light!" She called upstairs, and Raphael heard his footsteps on the floor above. Was Light's vessel actually named Light? Riku was chuckling bitterly at the irony, and Raphael wondered what Light's parents had been thinking when they named him. A few minutes her son came down. He was a few centimeters shorter than Raphael, with orderly brown hair and matching brown eyes, but Raphael didn't take any of that in.

What he did take in was the black winged monster that was hovering over the son's shoulder. He had huge yellow eyes with red pupils, and had black wings to match his humanoid body. His skin was pale blue, and his teeth were sharp and numerous. The wings seemed for show, though, because he merely hovered in the air. He also passed through the walls and ceiling coming down. What was going on? Raphael was pretty sure this monster wasn't part of this world, but did this mean there were links between this world and another?

"Yes?" Light said, looking suspiciously at him. Raphael quickly gathered his thoughts and said "Hi. What's his name?" gesturing towards the monster.

Raito's mother looked quizzically at Light, then back at Raphael saying "We don't have any pets."

Light's reaction was quite different. He stared in shock at Raphael, then at the monster. The monster was chuckling and said "My name's Ryuk. And where might you be from? My eyes can't see your name, you know."

Raphael hesitated, then said to Light's mother "Sorry, I think I've made a bit of a mistake. I must have come to the wrong address."

"That's quite alright." Light's mother said. She opened the door for him, then smiled as he went out. Was she really the mother of a mass murderer? It couldn't be. Raphael went out and told Jason to stay hidden, then went out onto the street.

It was dark now, and there hopefully wouldn't be anybody watching. Light quickly followed with narrowed eyes with Ryuk, who was still chuckling with glee. "Who are you?" Light demanded, "And how can you see Ryuk?"

Raphael's eyes narrowed, taking in the lines of arrogance and surety that hung around people with power. The unpossessed Grandmasters reeked of it. "I take it you're Kira."

Light glared daggers right back at Raphael. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You're killing people to try and make a better world." Raphael growled, "but where does it stop? Where will you be in ten years time?"

"At the head of a new world." Light yelled "Where there is no crime or greed or darkness in the world!"

"Who do you think you are?" Raphael hissed back. He was taken aback by how fervently he hated Light. "Everybody's lied. Some people have to steal to survive! What if people kill in self-defence? Who are you to make the judgement of who's good and who's evil? Who are you to absolve them of their sin? Who are you to divide between good and evil? _Who are you to divide me_?"

"You ask who I am?" Light yelled, "I am justice. I am the god of the new world. I am the god of this one, and nothing you do can stop me!"

Was this the human or the Divine Being talking? Raphael was glad to see Jason sneak up behind Light. They now had Light's vessel caught between two sides. Still, he only noticed this at the back of his mind. He felt a roaring in his mind, and his anger felt tangible, like a force he could use the same way he used Darkness "Killing may be a part of life, but it should never be used like this! Too much power in one person's hand will destroy him and those around him. It's always people like you who think they can do whatever they want! _It's people like you that divided me!_"

"No one can stop me!" Light yelled. "L can't stop me! The police can't stop me! _And neither can you and your pathetic Remnants."_

This was definitely Light speaking. Light seeped from his vessel's skin, and his eyes had turned pure white, signifying that he was indeed Light's vessel.

_"I shall cleanse the sinful with the tool of the Death Note. I shall slay the gluttonous with their bellies overflowing with slop! I shall bring low the proud, who sit atop their false thrones! I shall cleanse the lustful of their perverse yearnings! I shall crush the envious beneath my feet while they hate people for insignificant causes! I shall burn the wrathful as their own anger erases all goodness in them! I shall pluck the slothful out of this world as they wasting the toil of others! I shall eradicate the greedy from their dens, with their unlimited desires and wants! And all who oppose me shall be seared to ash with this holy fire!"_

Ryuk had drawn back and was looking unnerved for what was the first time in a very long while. Light now enveloped his vessel in a searing aura that made Raphael flinch backwards. _"Now you too shall perish beneath my power!"_

Light rushed at towards Raphael, who rolled out of the way of Light's outstretched palm, before using Darkness to infuse Heaven's Clarity and thrust towards Light's torso. It merely turned and used his hand to rip Heaven's Clarity out of Raphael's hand. He was about to kick Raphael in the throat, but Jason had dashed up and slashed at Light with his own Keyblade, Cleansing Light. Light moved back, then extended his arm and used a wave of Light to envelop Jason. Jason jumped up, and swung his Keyblade several times, leaving white outlines where he had slashed. These turned into arrow-like projectiles and flew towards Light.

"Fool!" It yelled as he absorbed all the projectiles, "You think you can defeat me with Light? Would an arm move against the body?"

Raphael stabbed at Light's back, but it merely sent a wave of Light towards that blew Raphael back several metres. Gasping he stood clutching his chest. Meanwhile, Jason darted in and out, trying to slash at Light, but his Keyblade just wasn't effective against Light, and even though he scored decent hits, none of them made it to Light's body, and the aura around his vessel only grew stronger and brighter. Raphael staggered as quickly as he could towards the two of them, but before he could help, Light lashed out and aimed a kick at Jason that made cracks in his chestplate and he flew back even further than Raphael had.

Raphael bellowed, putting all his Darkness into his legs and charging as fast as he could. His Keyblade hit Light, but it still didn't penetrate through to Light, and he was unable to dodge Light's fist as it plunged through his chest, causing blood to spill from the spot Light's arm was embedded in. Raphael almost passed out with the pain as he felt one of his lungs pulse against Light's hand. Light jerked his hand out, causing blood to spurt from the hole in his chest, and Raphael's vision blurred even further as he felt his strength leave him, as if Light had pulled out more than just his hand.

Raphael's vision blurred as he fell to the ground and started bleeding to death, and he was unable to lift a finger as he saw Jason dart around Light to reach Raphael. Funnily, he thought that the pattern of blood flowing from his chest looked like the time he had spilt juice over the table in Radiant Garden as a child. Both ran thick and soaked into everything around it, staining the fabric around him red.

As Raphael's thoughts lost coherency, he noted with detachment that Light had anticipated Jason's attack, laughing, and grabbed hold of Jason's helm before slamming it into the ground. Jason hit the ground with a grinding crunch, like the sound of stone against stone, and bounced a few metres in Raphael's direction.

He had to help Jason. He had to. _"You can't."_ Riku said, his voice surprisingly clear. _"You're dying, and there's nothing either of us can do about it."_

Raphael drew on Darkness to stop the bleeding, but there was hardly any in the air around him. He tried again desperately as he saw Light advanced towards Jason, who had gotten up and was swinging his Keyblade at the Divine being. Light caught Jason's arm, and sent a shockwave through Jason's arm, causing it to shatter into thousands of tiny pieces so fine they floated away in the air. Like snowflakes of Light in a world of Light. Like little fireflies dancing through the air.

Jason fell backwards and lay on the ground, and, amid a mind of clouded perceptions and dying thoughts, Raphael tried one, last, desperate time to draw Darkness when there was none.

Darkness answered him. It wasn't his. It wasn't Riku's. It was chaotic and full of hatred, so raw and untamed it was more dangerous than Light. Like a man possessed, he got up, and summoned Heaven's Clarity to his hand. It felt heavier, and seemed different, but he didn't care.

Light paused in wonder as he saw the wound he inflicted knit together. It was something only a Divine Being could do. He rushed towards Raphael, who raised his Keyblade and swung. Light's fist never connected as Raphael's Keyblade swung right through his aura into Light's shoulder.

Light roared out in pain, and the shockwave blew Jason's armour back. In a normal situation, Raphael would have instinctively looked back to make sure Jason was alright, but this wasn't a normal situation, and Raphael didn't care.

Light regained his footing and knit Light's wound together like only a Divine Being could, then came again. Raphael dodged Light's punches and stabbed his Keyblade through Light's chest. Even though both Light and Pierce's Remnant had the power of Light behind them, the vessel from this world had never fought in his life, and his inexperience and incompetence showed. Light stared at Raphael in wonderment as he faded and started to disappear into the air. The dark aura around Raphael disappeared at the same time, along with the Keyblade Raphael had been using. Jason's view of the Keyblade was blocked by Raphael's body, and Raphael didn't care much. So it was, that only Light saw that the Keyblade Raphael had used to chase him out of his vessel wasn't Heaven's Clarity.

Light dropped to the floor, with only ripped clothing where the Keyblade had penetrated his shoulder and chest. He was unharmed. Ryuk floated over cautiously and asked "What are you?"

Raphael opened his mouth to answer, but his vision swayed and he fell to the ground, unconscious.

* * *

"We seem to be making a habit out of this."

Raphael rubbed his head and found that he was sucking in the Darkness instinctively. He was revitalized and he looked around. He was in the Lanes Between, and just like last time, Vanitas was floating in front of him.

Raphael summoned Heaven's Clarity and said. "Yeah. It's one I'd like to break. Why doesn't Xehanort ever come, just to make things a little more interesting?"

"He's actually fully possessed by Darkness." Vanitas said, "Always was attracted to the big, bad Divine Beings power, now he's more powerful than anything in the Realm." He summoned some fireballs and sent them spiraling outwards, almost striking Raphael.

Raphael jumped back, and held his Keyblade at the ready. "I'd take you a lot more seriously if you didn't constantly try to kill me."

"Kill you?" Vanitas laughed, "Even though only a sliver of Darkness is in me, I could still defeat you easily." As Raphael's eyes narrowed, Vanitas held out his hands in a gesture of peace and laughed. "Calm down. I'm about to help you again, you know?"

"I'll pass on getting killed by an insane vessel of Darkness." Raphael glared at Vanitas and asked, "Is this on behalf of you or Darkness."

Vanitas giggled. "I think it's me, but it's probably Darkness. It always is, isn't it? Even when it's smaller than twig it's still Darkness. It's always Darkness, no matter what I do!"

Not wanting to provoke Vanitas, Raphael grunted "Just say what you have to say."

"I said I'd help, I didn't say I'd tell you anything." Vanitas laughed again. Raphael was finding it very annoying. The cackling sound reminded him of the cliche movie of a wicked witch he watched as a child in Radiant Garden. He had found it annoying then, as well.

"So what do you want?" Raphael asked. He was about to turn and leave when Vanitas materialized in front of him and leaned his head forward, as if peering into Raphael. Startled, Raphael moved back as Vanitas laughed once again.

"You don't know!" He giggled, "You don't know anything at all!" He flipped over in the air multiple times as he kept on repeating himself in sing-song voice. When he had put several metres between him and Raphael, he said, "You don't know how you banished Light from his vessel, do you?"

"And you do?" Raphael tried to keep his voice even, but his eagerness had shone through, causing Vanitas to laugh even harder.

Once Vanitas had stopped laughing, he sighed happily. "No point in asking you then. I was going to offer to help you, but seeing as you don't even know what you're capable of..." His voice trailed off into more laughter as he faded back into a Portal of Darkness.

What was that about? Raphael really hated it when people talked in riddles. After the recent events, it usually turned out to be a Divine Being just playing around with him. He waited for Riku to answer. Even if he didn't have something useful to say, he would always answer.

He didn't. Raphael waited expectantly, but Riku didn't speak up.

Disquieted, he opened up a portal to the Dark Meridian and stepped through. It seemed like these meetings with Vanitas always put him in that kind of mood. He distracted himself by thinking of Jason and the others. He hoped Jason wasn't dead. How much could the armour take before releasing the soul it held? Eraqus' Armour had been destroyed to a far greater extent than Jason's had just been, but what if Heartless or a Divine Being came after him? He stepped into his Portal, still thinking as the Darkness swallowed him.

* * *

**Well, that's the end of the Death Note world. Very quick, I know. Still, I don't think I could have lengthened it more, since there wouldn't be any reason for Raphael to delay, and there's no way the Remnants could get close to L or Light the normal way, they're both too smart for that.**

**Oh, and yes, Light Yagami is the protagonist/antagonist of Death Note. The kanji directly translates to Divine Moon of the Night, but in romaji it's pronounced Raito - Light, so... yeah. Anyways, hope you enjoyed that. 'till next time!**


	28. Part 2, Chapter 18

When Raphael emerged onto the familiar beach on the Dark Meridian, he saw Jack, Mist and Rayne spring up from the sand where they had been sitting. To his dismay, he didn't see Jason.

"Jason isn't here?" He asked, not wanting to bring disappointment to them with a brutal answer. The three Rikkisons stopped a few metres in front of him, and Rayne asked, "What happened?"

Raphael dismissed his Portal and told them what had happened. He had thought that he would be greeted with skepticism when he told them about how Light was simply driven away without any explanation, but the three Rikkisons just looked at each other grimly.

"So what went on at your end?" Raphael asked. The three of them looked at each other, and Jack said, "Let's wait for Jason first. I don't want to have to repeat myself."

Raphael looked at Jack for a moment, then nodded. He went further inland to where trees started to grow and sat on the exposed roots of one. Something had happened on their little trip as well, and they wanted to discuss it with Jason first. Maybe to decide how much to tell Raphael. They didn't seem surprised at Raphael's news that he had driven off a Divine Being either. So who would have been able to drive off a Divine Being, but do it in a way that made Jack want to keep it quiet. He wanted to discuss what had gone on with Jason, meaning he didn't know what to do. He was afraid. And what could scare him more, than the idea of his precious daughter being put in danger.

Rayne had wandered off across the beach and was kicking the grainy sand morosely as she walked. Raphael followed her and walked beside her for a bit. Partly it was because he didn't want to scare her off by suddenly asking the questions, but it was mostly because he didn't know how to start.

Luckily, he didn't have to because Rayne was the one who broke the silence. "Can you tell me exactly what happened in the Keyblade Graveyard right before we left?"

Raphael was confused, but didn't question her. "Starting from when?" He asked,recalling the events that had taken place that day.

"From when you, Jason and Marek got to where I was." Rayne said. She sat down on the wet sand and watched the small waves lap at her feet.

Raphael sat down with her and started talking. Rayne listened attentively. He hadn't really thought about it much. He hadn't had time to think about the fantastical events that had occurred in that graveyard of regret and divine intrigue. He could still remember the feeling of the endless wind that blew brittle earth into his eyes, and the lethargic flow of the whole world. As he recounted what had happened, it was like he was back in Rayne's Valley, surrounded by Divine Beings on all sides, floundering in the middle of their awe inspiring presence. When Raphael had finished speaking, he looked at Rayne. She hadn't budged from her original position, and still seemed to be staring out into the sea.

"I lost control." Rayne said softly. "Pierce's Remnant was just there, and I leapt in. Mom and dad were about to be killed, and I just…" She trailed off, and Raphael felt awkward, and couldn't look at Rayne's helm. It would have been even harder if she had an actual face.

"Yeah, so did I." Raphael said, "I knew what I was doing, but it was like I just didn't care." His brow furrowed as he remembered what it was like to plunge his Keyblade into Light's body. The feeling of chasing Light out of its vessel was disturbingly satisfying, like plunging his Keyblade into a human body and seeing blood run of the wound. The memories of the countless Heartless he had slain rose to his mind, and he remembered the few missions where he had to kill a human. That look in their eyes as they rolled up into their heads had always been the same. Could Light have felt the same way?

Raphael had been silent for a while, but he merely said "At least you can say you did it to protect your family. For me, I just did it blindly. Even when I wasn't possessed I still wasn't thinking."

"Don't blame yourself." Rayne said. "Seeing Pierce like that, it triggered my rage, but after that, my rage just grew out of hand." She held up her own and looked at it.

"It wasn't either of our faults." Raphael said thoughtfully, trying to banish the morbid thoughts of the people he had killed from his mind. "And we can't be afraid of whatever it was." He looked at Rayne and continued, "If we could control whatever's inside us, we could kill all the Divine Beings. This completely evens the playing field."

Rayne didn't answer for a bit. When she spoke it was tentatively, as if she was scared to voice her thoughts. "Light was destroyed before." Raphael's eyes widened as Rayne continued. "It was destroyed along with time itself. There would have been huge consequences if real gods hadn't come and fixed it."

"Why don't we ask these gods for help?" Raphael asked, "Where do they live?"

Rayne laughed, and if it had happened at any other time, Raphael would have been a little annoyed. Now, he was just glad that Rayne didn't seem to be depressed. "You do know Jason didn't tell me anything about this, right?"

Rayne nodded. "Yeah. Sorry about that. To be honest, I wasn't there. I heard it from my brother who was."

Raphael tried to remember what Pierce's Remnant looked like, but couldn't recall it. Strange that he couldn't use Riku's memories to help. "Pierce was there?"

"Yeah." Rayne replied. "He and Sora were the only ones who witnessed it." She turned to look at Raphael. "And, no. They come when they want to. We can't rely on them for help."

"Some gods." Raphael laughed, lying down on the sand and staring up at the black sky.

"They only come if it's absolutely necessary," Rayne said, "So it's a good sign if they still haven't shown up."

"They think we can fix this mess on our own?" Raphael said. "If they do, then they can't be that wise."

"Sometimes we put so much emphasis on humans believing in gods," Rayne said, "That we don't even consider gods believing in us humans." She stopped to gather her thoughts and concluded, "And maybe our faith in them is simply so we're aware of their faith in us. And maybe that's all we need."

Raphael looked at her curiously, and she quickly went on, "Anyways, my point was that killing a Divine Being could have huge effects. This war against them doesn't have such a simple solution."

"Then what do you think we should do?" Raphael asked, slightly irked at her seeming apathy.

Rayne just shrugged, and Raphael instantly regretted his brusque tone. She was feeling as torn as he was about being possessed, and he wasn't even sure if the presence of parents helped.

"There's this world where I can do research." Raphael said in what he hoped was a reassuring voice. "I can look some things up, find out how to control whatever's in us."

"It's the X-Blade, isn't it." Rayne said, "Don't tell me you didn't know."

"I suspected," Raphael said after a pause, "But I didn't want to tell you until I was sure."

"Sure." Rayne said, "You were there when the X-Blade came to this Realm. I was about to be taken over by the X-Blade because of Xehanort and Vanitas, and you came over and absorbed the Darkness of the X-Blade. I was left with the Light."

Raphael nodded. "It makes sense when you say it like that, but I just wasn't sure. Before I thought there were the things that were correct and things that weren't, but not I'm just not sure. I don't know if my thoughts are dictated by the X-Blade or myself. I just don't know." As he said this, the image of Vanitas gone insane rose to his mind. Would he turn into something like that, unsure whether his thoughts, his most cardinal possession, had been snatched away from him.

"I guess that goes for both of us." Rayne said more calmly. "I don't know why mom and dad are hiding things from me."

Raphael thought and replied, "Their Hearts are the Hearts of them when they were twenty or so. They probably forgot how to deal with it or think rationally like the parents you're used to."

Rayne thought for a bit, then nodded. "That makes sense." She said. They sat on the beach a while longer, then she got up and went back.

Raphael looked at her walk away, but didn't follow her. He thought about what she had said regarding belief of gods in humans. There were plenty of religions out there, but none of them preached mutual belief. It was an interesting idea. He waited for Riku to put in a comment there, but he didn't say anything. Was he alright?

Raphael dove down into his Heart to look. When he emerged into it, he found that Riku was not. His body floated limply in the air, and around him a malignant force of Darkness swirled around him. It was the Darkness he had beaten back with Riku before in the Keyblade Graveyard, and it was as hateful and as full of wrath as it had been the day Raphael had absorbed it.

He quickly summoned Heaven's Clarity and ran at it. Like before, slashing at it proved futile, and it just swirled around him malevolently. Why wasn't it attacking him?

He had used this Darkness against Light. Did it acknowledge him as its Master because of that? He willed it to gather into one place, and it flickered but didn't stop moving. Instead, it lashed out at Riku, making him spin away and sent flying a few metres. Raphael felt the rage that always came with the Darkness rise in him, and he willed it to stop. He drew on the rage, like the times when he drew his Dark Lance so long ago. The Darkness kept on flowing, but it coagulated into a sphere that hovered at eye level.

"What are you?" He asked in a hushed voice.

_"We must unite."_ The Darkness responded. It's voice was harsh and grated on Raphael's ears.

"What do you mean?" Raphael asked. The Darkness still swirled in its sphere form, but it retained the shape of a sphere. Because of that, it seemed to be a dark solid, rather than a vortex of untamed Darkness.

_"The two of us must come together."_ The Darkness responded. Raphael felt like he was back in the Keyblade Graveyard, yelling at the Remnants, trying to get answers. He turned to Riku, and ran over to him, appalled that he had forgotten about his friend.

Riku was still floating where he was, and Raphael shook him. Riku didn't respond, and he didn't have a pulse. Raphael felt his own wrist and found he couldn't find his own pulse. One of the many strange things about this place. He remembered when he had been drifting in the Lanes Between and had been suddenly revitalized by a surge of Darkness.

He wanted someone to reassure him that what he was doing was right, but that had always been Riku. Taking a deep breath, and hoping he didn't kill Riku in the process, he transferred his own Darkness into Riku.

He immediately jackknifed in the air and shot out a bolt of Dark Thundaga into the air. He fell onto the platform and whirled to his feet, looking around wildly. When he saw Raphael, he relaxed and said, "Was that you?"

"If you mean transferred Darkness to you, then yes." Raphael said, his own heart racing after Riku's sudden display. "If you mean caused you to leap into the air and almost electrocute me, then no, that was all you."

"What happened?" Riku asked, looking around him. "Where did the Darkness go?"

"Here. What happened to you?" Raphael asked, as he brought the orb of Darkness closer to him.

"I was just minding my own business as you were getting killed, and then when you used that," Riku said, pointing towards the ball of Darkness, "It completely overwhelmed me. I think I heard the voice you were hearing. It kept on wanting to unite with me."

Raphael nodded, "Weird. It said it wanted to unite with me."

Riku shrugged. "More importantly, can you use this stuff without nearly killing me in the process?"

Raphel tried to draw on that Darkness, but it kept on eluding him. It was like it shied away from his touch whenever he got near. Cocking his head, Riku said, "I think you need to give in to your emotions more. It's like how you used to draw on Darkness before you met me and Marek."

Raphael nodded, recalling the burning corrosion of his Heart every time he had used his Dark Lance. Still, this wasn't the time for experimentation, and after making sure Riku was alright, emerged back into the real world.

He was lying down on the sand, but when he opened his eyes he was staring into Rayne's helm. After jerking back up, he whirled to his feet and asked, "What was that for?"

"I was making sure you were alright." Rayne said. "We were calling you and you weren't responding."

Raphael looked over and saw that Jason had joined them, and was sitting in front of Mist and Jack. "How long has he been here?" Raphael asked.

"About ten minutes. He sent me to go walk over to you after he'd finished telling the story to granddad" Rayne said as she ran on back to the rest. That seemed about right. Enough time for Jack to ask Jason for advice while sending Rayne away so she didn't pick up on his anxiety. Jack was worrying too much. It was causing him to make bad decisions. Rayne should have stayed, since it was her problem as well as Jack's.

Jason's armour was still being repaired by Rayne, but he sat up straight on the sand, alert, as he listened to Jack. Raphael listened to their version of the story, noting without surprise that they left out the part with Rayne losing control.

Raphael decided not to ask furhter. It didn't matter since he already knew. "So are we going to this third world?" He asked.

"As soon as we can." Jack said, "Can you make the Portal now?"

Raphael let Riku take over. He summoned Way to Dawn to his hand, and pointed it at the air. A Portal of Darkness sprang from the ground and Riku went to the back of Raphael's mind. Jack walked through it closely followed by Mist and Rayne. Jason turned as if to say something to Raphael, but Raphael walked into the Portal of Darkness as well, leaving Jason to quickly follow.

When Raphael got out of the Portal, he was stunned. Did Riku make the Portal correctly? "Of course I did." Riku said, "Why wouldn't I."

Because maybe Raphael's desires manifested themselves in Riku and caused the Portal to go of course. He had wanted to come here after they dealt with the third crisis Vanitas had told them about. "You know this world?" Riku asked.

Raphael did. Apart from Radiant Garden, the city of Academia on the world of Gran Pulse had one of the largest libraries in existence. They stood on bricks that levitated off the ground and swung ninety degrees at a time to form catwalks between buildings that soared far up into the sky. Raphael hoped none of the Remnants had a fear for heights, because they were at least a kilometre up from the ground. He doubted if even the Remnants could take such a long fall.

The others were looking around in amazement, never having seen buildings half the size of these. Raphael cleared his throat and asked, "You guys can track Darkness and Light, right?"

"Yeah." Jack said, "Why?"

"So you don't need me to find the Divine Beings." Raphael continued, "which is good. There's something I need to check out here."

"What is it?" Mist asked, "What are you going to do?"

"Just a little research." Raphael shrugged. "I'll try and find you once I'm done. If stuff happens, we regroup at the Dark Meridian."

"I don't think we should split up like this." Jack said, "What if one of the Divine Beings choose to ambush you?"

"I can run away fine." Raphael smiled, "Besides, it's not as if I'm alone. Riku will take care of me."

_"Take care of you?"_ Riku smirked, _"I can do that. Just don't eat your words."_

The Remnants looked at each other, and Raphael beckoned Rayne to lend an ear. "I told you, I need to research what's going on with us." He whispered. "I don't know for certain, so I need to look into it first."

"You still shouldn't go alone." Rayne said. "What if the Divine Beings come after you. We still don't know what happened to Marek."

"Marek can take care of himself." Raphael said, "and if I do have to run, I'll just slip into a Portal of Darkness quickly. Darkness won't have time to lay a finger on me." He lowered his voice and said, "Look, if we can work out what's happening to us, we can control it. We won't put any of our friends or family in danger again."

Rayne hesitated, but she nodded and went back to stand with her parents. Jason looked at Raphael for a bit, then walked off with the rest. Raphel watched the four of them summon their Riders, then fly straight towards the source of Darkness or whatever Divine Being was there. Raphael really wished he had one here. Could Riku take over and start flying?

_"I'd rather not." _Riku said,_ "Attaining armour means attuning your own presence with your Keyblade's. If I keep on taking over and using my own Keyblade and Armour, it will just confuse you even more than normal."_

Yeah. Raphael was looking forward to getting armour. But there were some things he had to research first. He kept on running towards the grand library, eager yet apprehensive to see what he would find there.

* * *

**So, hope you enjoyed that. I'm going to be away on this school trip until sunday, so I won't be updating until then. Sorry about that. I'll post as soon as I'm free.**

**Thanks, 'till next time.**


	29. Part 2, Chapter 19

Jack focused his attention on Corruption and Darkness. That was what pervaded the atmosphere, like ink sinking into a glass of water, tainting everything it touched. What would they do to this world now? Who would they possess? And where was everyone? Soaring up alongside the buildings, Jack couldn't see any movement anywhere. It was as if everyone had already been killed. Was this the work of Corruption?

"Can you hear something?" Rayne asked. Jack cocked his head and listened. He heard the sound of gunfire echoing across the buildings the four of them zoomed towards the sound. The buildings they passed all looked orange, but as Jack flew closer he realized it was metal and the dull orange was the reflection of the sun. As he looked up, his eyes were captured by what seemed like a ceiling to the sky. There were huge metal protrusions that seemed to rise up on the horizon and cover most of it. The metal seemed like it was invading the sky, intruding on what it could never possess.

The four of them flew past darker buildings that seemed both black and white, and Jack realized that all the buildings were made of shining metal that perfectly reflected what was in front of them. It was like flying through a world of mirrors. The metal shimmered between bright and dark as he flew past, and it induced a hypnotic effect on Jack. It seemed like he wasn't moving forward or backwards at all, rather, it was the buildings themselves that were moving. He quickly shook his head and flew faster to where the shooting was taking place. He couldn't afford to lose concentration now.

He could hear people shouting as they approached, and when he burst out onto the surface, or out into the sun where the disorienting effect of the buildings now longer confused him, he saw a huge dragon take flight. To say it was black was an understatement. It was so devoid of colour that everything surrounding it seemed darkened as well. There were dim purple streaks all over its hard skin, but they only stood out against the pure Darkness that emanated from the dragon.

Amazingly, several ships were chasing after it. Jack had to admire their bravery. The ships were polished and shone under the sun, but as they approached the black dragon, they seemed to dim and fade, as if simply being next to the dragon was enough to suck all the life out of them and pluck them out of the sky. Jack had stopped his Rider as he had taken in the dragon, and his family were hovering next to him.

"It's Bahamut again." Jason said, gesturing towards the dragon. "That is one of the most used summons across the Realm of Light.

"We've beaten it plenty of times." Jack said, "We can do it again."

"While it's infused with a Divine Being?" Jason asked, "You must have noticed that it's not like its other summonings."

"It must be Darkness." Rayne said, "Just look at that thing."

"Doesn't matter." Jack said, "Whether it's Light, Darkness or Corruption, we'll grab them by the neck and send them back to Kingdom Hearts."

_"I think not."_ A blast of grey Light made all four scatter, and they saw two of the Grandmasters floating in the air behind them.

_"Allow me to introduce my vessel, Avomis."_ Corruption said, "He has become a most useful ally." The said Grandmaster was shorter than the others, and his Keyblade was actually two long knives that he held in backhand grips, like Ven and Jack. In a flash, he pushed off the wall and ran faster than any of the Rikkisons expected. He ran towards Mist, but then changed direction mid air and headed for Rayne. The other Grandmaster, Arcostan, kept Jack and Jason at bay, weaving a wall of Corruption between them and Rayne. Mist raised her gauntlet as it shone even brighter, but was thrown into a wall by a fourth Grandmaster that had appeared behind her.

_"You grow careless the moment your precious daughter is threatened." _Agatha said,_ "I thank you for possessing Hearts."_

It hadn't been a powerful strike, and Mist quickly regained her footing, if such a term could be used in an aerial battle. She used a series of anti-gravity fields that repelled herself off them to maneuver. She flew straight forward, then used Aerora to fling Agatha into one of the Anti-Gravity fields. Bouncing off the fields, Agatha was flung towards her, and Mist drew her fist back to punch Agatha. Agatha quickly used her Keyblade to meet Mist's gauntlet, and they flew back from the impact. Both bumped into Mist's Anti-Gravity field, and Mist used Graviga to draw Agatha to her at an even quicker pace.

Agatha was undeterred, and she flipped in the air and held out her Keyblade. It was in the shape of a long lance, and it glowed yellow as she called: _"Spellblade: Thunder!"_

Mist quickly propelled herself out of the way, but Agatha took advantage of the Anti-Gravity fields and quickly followed her. Mist quickly fired off several blasts of Fira, but Agatha yelled,_ "Spellblade: Haste"_ and her lance glowed golden light and it thrust towards the fireballs at amazing speed. The Fira spells detonated between Agatha and Mist, leaving a metre behind each of them. Mist was temporarily blinded by the smoke, and Agatha's lance shot out chipped out a sizable hole in Mist's left shoulder.

"Mom!" Rayne yelled, as she gave ground to Avomis, whose quick strokes left scratches across every inch of her armour. Jack and Jason didn't have any damage inflicted upon them, but they couldn't bypass the web of Corruption that Arcostan was weaving. Jack had tried teleporting past Arcostan, but the Corruption Arcostan emitted disrupted it, and he had to quickly jump back to not suffer any blows. Jason had tried blinding Arcostan, but the effects of blindness were quickly shaken off.

Mist quickly bounced off a building and flew towards Agatha again. "Jason, Jack, you have to go after Bahamut!"

"What are you talking about?" Jack yelled "I can't just leave you like this! We're losing as it is."

"They're trying to distract us." Mist continued, sending a flurry of quick shards of ice at Agatha. "And Arcostan isn't as good at offence. We're losing because we're fighting to win. If Rayne and I just fight to hold back, we'll be able to withstand it."

Jack looked at Jason, who nodded. "We have to do it." Jack gritted his teeth and summoned his Rider again. He was about to fly off when Avomis intercepted him and knocked him off his Rider. Jack hovered at the ground, and summoned Wanderer's Judgement to his hand in the form of his Keyblade. He teleported behind Avomis, but Avomis easily dodged his strike and kicked him backwards into a building. He turned to find Jason, but saw that he was flying up towards the hole in the sky where Bahamut had flown into.

Avomis turned to Jack, but instead of striking him while he was vulnerable, Avomis flew towards another building and started dashing up it, chasing after Jason. Jack looked at Mist and Rayne, and the two were holding their own against Arcostan and Agatha. Agatha constantly lunged in with her infused lance, retreating back behind Arcostan to recharge. Mist and Rayne worked perfectly together, casting deadly combinations of magic and using the anti-gravity fields to move around. None were getting any hits on the other side, and they were in a stalemate.

_"We are equally matched in skill, but can the same be said for stamina?"_ Arcostan asked Jack, _"We will eventually overpower your family, and what then?"_ Agatha's lanced blazed orange with fire as she lunged towards Mist, who dodged and sent a Firaga Shot that bounced of Arcostan's quarterstaff. _"Will you remember yourself as the man who abandons his family?"_

"Jack," Mist yelled, "Don't listen to them. They know Avomis can take Jason on by himself. You need to go help."

Jack stood, indecisive, and thought about what Corruption could do if it wasn't stopped. He thought about the Realm of Nothingness, and the travesties that could occur if Corruption succeeded. But he also thought about Pierce, and the way Light used him like a human would use a glove; to be worn and cover oneself when there was dirty work to be done.

_"Choose, Rikkison, between your family and justice."_ Corruption hissed.

Glaring at the Grandmasters, he summoned his Rider and jumped on, but flew towards Arcostan instead. Stunned, Arcostan raised his quarterstaff to deflect Jack, but Jack teleported behind him and shot out white fire at both Agatha and Arcostan. Both were unharmed, but Jack kept on pressing Arcostan while Mist and Rayne attacked Agatha.

"Choice between family and justice? Where the hell did you get that kind of cliché from. I don't have to make any choice." Jack yelled as he hacked at Arcostan, "I'll save my family and stop you."

_"Fool!"_ Arcostan yelled, _"You cannot go through this journey without sacrifices. You cannot summit this mountain with unnecessary baggage. You have doomed this world to me!"_

"Wrong!" Jack yelled back, and his body flowed with Light, though his eyes remained brown. "I'll defeat you, Darkness, and Light, and send you back to Kingdom Hearts." And he jumped back and threw Wanderer's Judgement at Arcostan. Arcostan dodged the Keyblade contemptuously, but Jack was unfazed and Mist came behind him and yelled, "Stopga"

Arcostan only froze for a moment, but that was enough. Shining with Light, Wanderer's Judgement had changed to its Rider form and struck Arcostan in the back at blinding speed. His armour shattered as he fell down past the impossibly tall buildings to the ground none of them could even make out. Corruption wouldn't be any less strong, but it would be a while before he could use that vessel again.

Jack turned and sensed that the fight between Agatha, Mist and Rayne had been taken even further up and behind a few buildings. He started to head towards them, but sensed Agatha's presence fade away. Corruption must have wanted to minimize its losses, recognizing that even a possessed Grandmaster couldn't match up against the three of them.

He jumped onto his Rider and sped up towards Jason, hoping that Jason would be alright. Not sensing them anywhere, Jack sped into the Portal, hoping that Jason would have gotten past Avomis.

* * *

Jason was thrown off course, and Avomis pursued him relentlessly through the portal that led him through Valhalla. Jason had his back turned to the portal and he was flying backwards, not caring which direction he flew in. In front of him was Avomis, and Jason was working hard to keep it that way. They fought, and the moment Jason let Avomis dash to the side or out of his line of sight, Jason would instantly be felled by Avomis' quick knives.

Jason was fighting a losing battle and he knew it. Even though Avomis never struck a fatal hit, Jason's armour was littered with small scratches and gouges, and Jason could never hope to get a clean hit on his quick adversary.

Suddenly, Jason emerged from the portal, and his foot caught on solid ground. He stumbled backwards as his foot sunk backwards into wet sand, opening him up for the blow that would shatter his armour. Avomis dashed to Jason's left and would have dealt it had he not been forced back by several bolts of lightning.

_"Why hello, old friend." _Darkness said, as Vanitas drove Avomis back for a moment. _"How goes your crusade of destruction?"_

_"I am not Light, to hide behind such noble words." _Avomis said, readying himself for another battle, _"My battle is one for survival, one that shall be won through destruction."_

Vanitas laughed, and for a moment it seemed Vanitas was in control again. The cackle of insanity was the same as ever, and the high pitch of the sound cut through the hushed silence of Valhalla. _"You're a fool, Corruption, if you think destruction is your salvation. You have grown arrogant in your aeons of solitude."_

Corruption growled, and Avomis dashed towards Vanitas. The two of them started fighting, leaving Jason behind wondering why Darkness chose to make its move now. Why would Darkness risk one of its precious vessels now? Armstrong was one thing, but Darkness' hold on him was never complete, and besides, Vanitas had far more potential than Armstrong did. Complete possession was impossible, now that all the empty bodies that were the Remnants had been snatched by Light. Using one of them in battle was a huge risk.

Jason looked around, and now that all his attention was not immediately drawn to Avomis, he was able to sense that something was incredibly wrong about this place. The place they called Valhalla reached closer into the Heart of the World than anything any of them had experienced before. Here, the laws of the World were governed and twisted. Jason wouldn't be surprised if the dead could find their bodies and come back to life here. The rules of ecosystems and the environment were made, and stability of the whole world was kept. Hearts of this world made their way through Valhalla, and pass into the Heart of Gran Pulse, but sometimes they didn't pass through. Sometimes they would stay.

Still, the proximity to the world's Heart wasn't what grabbed Jason's attention. What grabbed his attention was the fact that the Light and Darkness of the whole Heart of the world was centered around one person. In shock, Jason started running to that man.

When Jason arrived at the ruins where the Heart stood, he saw a tall man dressed in purple, with the anguish and pain of every Heart that had ever existed in Gran Pulse cloaked around him in a mourning shroud of death. It was Light and Darkness together, but together they made death. Jason was frozen by the sheer size of the man, but Xehanort wasn't.

Walking up to the man was Xehanort, Darkness oozing out of his armour, still seeming pathetically small compared to the Heart of the World.

_"Caius Ballad," _Xehanort said, _"Your plan to destroy this world deserves credit due to its sheer magnitude."_

Caius looked at Xehanort coldly and raised his huge broadsword. It was purple, lined with black streaks and had a purple jewel in the middle of the crosspiece. Xehanort laughed and raised his own Keyblade. The two weapons were the same in design: huge blades wider than both their arms put together with immense power behind each swing. The two of them clashed for a few seconds, but Xehanort used his power of Darkness more effectively than Caius, and was able to thrust his hand into Caius' chest.

_"Do not worry, human." _Xehanort said, _"I shall leave you with the Heart of your goddess, or at least enough to doom this World like you wish."_

And with that, Xehanort yanked his hand out while Caius fell to his knees. _"I thank Corruption for this wonderful bounty." _He turned to Jason, who was standing there in awe of what had just taken place. _"This is just the first step. Countless worlds will succumb to Darkness in due course."_

Jason didn't know what Xehanort was talking about, but before he could do anything, Xehanort disappeared. Jason hadn't been standing there for a minute when Jack emerged from the Portal.

As Jack flew out of the portal he almost fell off his Rider in shock. He had emerged onto a beach with a dark sky, and clouds that roiled in the air ominously and a sea that was pitch black and stank of Darkness. If he looked around, he would have taken in the stone ruins along with Jason, and maybe even the crumbling temple in the distance. But he didn't see any of this. His attention was fully drawn to a tall man with purple hair wielding a huge broadsword in his hand. Of course, Jack didn't take in any of his physical features. What drew Jack's attention was the mass of Darkness inside the man. He had taken in almost all of the Darkness of the World.

How had he not killed them yet? How had he not used Darkness' power to completely obliterate the two. Caius sped towards the female youth, but the male one quickly jumped between them and thrust his short sword through the man's chest. It was only then that Jack grasped the enormity of what Darkness had done. As the man was killed and fell to the ground, Jack felt the whole world tremble and moan. It was the moan of agony of millions of Hearts, and it devastated Jack to the core. He could feel them squirming as they died, thousands of thousands of them, and he could feel the weight of their experiences and joys and sorrows.

He had failed.

At the moment, Jason crashed on the ground next to him. His silver armour was torn in several places, and even though it was all in one piece, there were so many thin gouges in it that Jack wondered how it was staying together. They heard Corruption gasp and Jack looked behind him to see Avomis standing there in shock. Part of his shoulder was chipped away, and Jack could see several other places where Jason had dented the armour. _"This cannot be. What has happened?"_

Jack turned and got ready to fight Avomis, but Jason put his hand on Jack's shoulder and said, "You're depleted, and he wasn't the one that did this. We have to get Raphael and leave this place before it completely falls to Darkness."

"What happened!?" Jack yelled, "What did Corruption do?"

"Corruption didn't do anything." Jason replied urgently, "Now, let's get out of here before we get overrun."

Jack wanted to yell out in frustration. He had failed. He had doomed this world to death. He had been selfish and put his family in front of a whole world. In that moment when he felt the millions of Heart writhe in torment, he realized how small his family was compared to the mass of suffering and torture that all of those Hearts suffered.

He was aware of being dragged along by Jason, though Light alone knew how he his armour was staying in one piece, and stumbled through the portal back into Academia.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed that. I'll explain what went wrong with Valhalla next chapter. I know I didn't really explain it. **


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